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Shubman Gill's Vijay Hazare Trophy outings confirmed; Ranji Trophy return on his way

Rajgeeta Yadav

Shubman Gill [Source: AFP]Shubman Gill [Source: AFP]

In a significant development, India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill is set to return to domestic cricket and represent Punjab in the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy during the 2025–26 season. 

Notably, this move comes after he missed out on selection for India’s T20 plans, including the T20 World Cup in 2026. With no international T20I duties at the moment, Gill now has the chance to focus on red ball and one-day cricket at the domestic level.

Gill has been included in Punjab’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26. The team features several well-known names such as Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Naman Dhir, Ramandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar and Salil Arora.

At present, the Punjab selectors have not officially announced the captain for the tournament, which has surprised many followers of the team.

Shubman Gill wants to play Ranji Trophy after NZ ODI series

According to Times of India report, Shubman Gill is expected to play two List A matches for Punjab, facing Sikkim on January 3 and Goa on January 6. Both games will take place in Jaipur. He has already informed the Punjab Cricket Association about his availability and has shown interest in playing the remaining rounds of the Ranji Trophy as well.

After these domestic matches, Gill will join the Indian ODI squad in Vadodara for a three-match series against New Zealand. The series will conclude on January 18 in Indore. 

Following this, he is likely to return to domestic red ball cricket. Punjab are scheduled to play Saurashtra in Rajkot from January 22 and Karnataka in Mullanpur from January 29.

Gill recently served as vice-captain of India’s T20I side during the South Africa tour. A dip in batting form and team balance issues led to his exclusion from future T20 selections. This situation has opened the door for him to gain valuable match practice in domestic first-class cricket.

Notably, the Vijay Hazare Trophy will run from December 24 to January 18. Punjab are placed in Group C alongside strong sides such as Mumbai. Their group-stage matches will be held in Jaipur, where they are scheduled to play teams including Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa and Mumbai. 

Punjab will begin their campaign with matches against Maharashtra on December 24 and Chhattisgarh on December 26.