‘No spectators allowed in Shubman Gill’s Vijay Hazare game’:Match to be played behind closed doors in Jaipur; Punjab set to clash against Sikkim tomorrow

The Vijay Hazare Trophy continues to draw attention as India’s top international stars return to domestic cricket. After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma featured in low-key matches away from public view, a similar arrangement has now been made for Indian ODI captain Shubman Gill. His upcoming match for Punjab against Sikkim in Jaipur will be played behind closed doors, with no entry for the general public. The decision has been taken keeping security concerns and infrastructure limitations in mind. As per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) guidelines, Gill and India’s pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh will represent Punjab in their next two Vijay Hazare Trophy fixtures against Sikkim and Goa on January 3 and January 6, respectively. No spectators allowed in Shubman Gill’s Vijay Hazare match Punjab’s match against Sikkim will be held at the Jaipuria College ground in Jaipur on Saturday. Due to the absence of proper seating facilities and security considerations, spectators will not be allowed inside the venue. However, the match against Goa will take place at the KL Saini Stadium, which has better infrastructure. A BCCI source explained the situation clearly, stating, “The students and staff are allowed inside the premises but there will be enough security arrangements including private bouncers being deployed. In any case, no outsiders will be allowed inside the college premises.” The source also added that the scheduling was done well in advance and adjustments are made only when crowd response is expected to be overwhelming. Reference to Kohli and Rohit’s matches for Mumbai and Delhi The arrangement mirrors what was seen earlier during matches involving Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Kohli had played his Vijay Hazare Trophy games behind closed doors at the Centre of Excellence (CoE), while Mumbai’s match featuring Rohit Sharma had to be shifted to the Sawai Man Singh Stadium due to expected crowd turnout. The BCCI source further revealed, “The scheduling was done much earlier. Only because of Rohit Sharma and anticipating the response, Mumbai’s match had to be shifted to Sawai Man Singh Stadium from Anantam.” Just like Kohli and Rohit’s matches, Gill’s game will also not be televised or live-streamed. Travel delays for Gill and Arshdeep due to weather conditions Both Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh were expected to reach Jaipur by Friday evening, but adverse weather conditions in North India caused delays in their travel plans. Providing an update, the source said, “Both Gill and Arshdeep were supposed to arrive by evening but prevailing weather condition in North India has led to delay of their flights. Weather permitting, they will arrive by late night.” Despite the delay, both players are expected to be available for selection in the match against Sikkim.