New Chandigarh, October 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will turn out for Punjab in their second-round Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh in New Chandigarh, beginning Sunday, as he looks to gain valuable red-ball practice ahead of the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
Gill, 27, has been added to the Punjab squad at the last minute, while Uday Saharan will continue to lead the side. India’s ODI series in New Zealand is scheduled from November 4 to 15, but Gill will feature only in the first three matches before handing over the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer and shifting his focus to the subsequent two-Test series.
An India A side will also tour New Zealand during the same period for three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul have been named for all three matches, and Gill was initially expected to feature in one of them.
However, those plans have changed because the third four-day match, scheduled from November 7 to 10 in Lincoln, clashes with the second and third ODIs. His Ranji Trophy appearance therefore provides a timely opportunity to prepare for the longer format ahead of the Test series.
Related Posts
Gill is likely to bat at number four for Punjab, which could result in Jashanpreet Sidhu missing out on a place in the playing XI.
Punjab’s batting line-up will receive another boost with the return of wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, who missed the season opener against Assam last week due to his India A commitments. Prabhsimran scored 39 and 17 against Australia A in Puducherry during the 50-over series, which India A lost 2-1.
Punjab began their Ranji Trophy campaign positively, securing three points against Assam on the basis of a first-innings lead. Vihaan Malhotra, Emanjot Chahal and Salil Arora all scored centuries in the contest.
The match also marked a significant milestone for veteran India fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who returned to first-class cricket after a gap of more than two years. Having switched from Vidarbha to Punjab ahead of the domestic season, Umesh made an immediate impact with figures of 5-70, registering his 16th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
With Gill and Prabhsimran joining a batting unit that produced three centuries in the opening match, Punjab will look to strengthen their position against Chhattisgarh in front of their home crowd at the New PCA Stadium.
The Punjab-Chhattisgarh match will be telecast on JioHotstar and Star Sports Khel. The Karnataka-Saurashtra and Kerala-Odisha matches will also be available for live streaming on JioHotstar.
Punjab squad: Harnoor Pannu, Vihaan Malhotra, Shubman Gill, Uday Saharan (captain), Jashanpreet Sidhu, Salil Arora (vice-captain), Ramandeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Harpreet Brar, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Harjas Tandon, Gurnoor Brar, Umesh Yadav, Gursimran Singh, Sanvir Singh and Sehaj Dhawan.
FOLLOW NOW
