Shubman Gill to play Vijay Hazare Trophy after T20WC snub:Rohit Sharma to reach Jaipur today, will play two matches for Mumbai

Shubman Gill is set to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after he was picked in Punjab’s 18-member squad for the tournament. Gill, who was India’s vice-captain in T20Is recently, was left out of the T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Punjab announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming edition of the tournament. Apart from Gill, international stars like Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh have also been included. Also read: Hat-trick of wins over Pakistan to Rohit, Virat’s Test retirement:First ICC title for women’s team, 2025 Indian cricket recap Chance for Gill to return to form Gill’s selection for Punjab is a big opportunity for him to bounce back to form. The 26-year-old has not been among the runs in international cricket for some time now and the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be an opportunity for him to regain rhythm and re-establish his class in white-ball cricket.

Punjab will start its campaign on 24 December against Maharashtra. However, it is not clear how many matches these three players will be able to play, as India is scheduled to play an ODI against New Zealand from January 11. The three ODIs will be followed by a five-match T20I series that starts from January 21.
Rohit Sharma to reach Jaipur today Rohit Sharma will reach Jaipur today and take part in Mumbai’s training session for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The former Indian captain will play Mumbai’s first two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Also read: Shubman Gill was not informed of T20I WC exclusion: Dropped from 5th T20I vs SA due to ‘injury risk’; BCCI official breaks silence
Punjab’s matches will be held in Jaipur Punjab will play all its seven league matches in Jaipur. Punjab, which was eliminated in the quarter-finals last season, is considered a strong contender for the title this time. Barring Gill and Abhishek, the Punjab team also features batters like Prabhsimran Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Naman Dhir, Ramandeep Singh and Sanvir Singh.
Arshdeep Singh to lead Punjab’s bowling attack Arshdeep Singh will once again lead the bowling attack, having been Punjab’s highest wicket-taker in the 2024-25 season with 20 wickets. He will be supported by Gurnoor Brar and Krishna Bhagat. Arshdeep will look to take wickets with the new ball and also bowl effectively in the death overs.

However, the availability of Gill, Abhishek, and Arshdeep after the league stage is not confirmed. India is scheduled to play three ODIs against New Zealand starting January 11, followed by a five-match T20 series from January 21. No captain announced by Punjab Punjab, however, have not yet announced a captain. The group that Punjab have been placed in is a challenging one with the other teams being Mumbai, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim. The league stage matches will conclude on January 8.
Punjab’s Vijay Hazare Trophy Squad Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Harnoor Pannu, Anmolpreet Singh, Uday Saharan, Naman Dhir, Salil Arora (wicketkeeper), Sanvir Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Jasanpreet Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Raghu Sharma, Krishan Bhagat, Gaurav Chaudhary and Sukhdeep Bajwa