New Delhi, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has revamped its senior men’s coaching set-up ahead of the 2026-27 domestic season, appointing former left-arm seamer Amit Uniyal as head coach in place of Sandeep Sharma.
The PCA has also named TP Singh as batting coach, Harmeet Singh as bowling coach and Manish Sharma as fielding coach. They replace Uday Kaul, Gagandeep Singh and Sandeep Sanwal, respectively.
Uniyal, who played 29 First-Class and 46 List A matches for Punjab, also represented Rajasthan Royals in the 2009 IPL. He becomes Punjab’s fourth head coach in as many seasons after Aavishkar Salvi, Wasim Jaffer and Sandeep Sharma.
The coaching overhaul comes after Punjab’s struggles in red-ball cricket. Although the team won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in the 2023-24 season, its Ranji Trophy record over the past three seasons has remained poor, with only three wins against 10 defeats.
Uniyal said the team would focus on building a stronger unit and improving its red-ball performance, particularly by developing a bowling attack capable of taking 20 wickets.
“Since everyone wants to play in the IPL nowadays, they focus more on T20 cricket. But we have the potential, we have the talent, all we need is to play as a unit. We want to do better in red-ball cricket this time, and for that, you need bowlers who can take 20 wickets. So we will work towards that,” Uniyal was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
After retiring from playing, Uniyal worked in various coaching and selection roles in Chandigarh. He served as assistant coach during the 2020-21 season and was chairman of selectors last season.
Punjab also endured considerable instability in player selection last season, using 27 players and three captains. India batter Shubman Gill even led the side in one Ranji Trophy match.
Uniyal stressed that players would be given adequate opportunities under the new set-up.
“I don’t know what happened last season. But obviously when the team is not winning, the changes are more. I just want us to play tough cricket without any fear of losing one’s spot. If someone gets picked, he will get a proper opportunity,” he said.
The PCA has also constituted a new senior men’s selection committee, headed by Gaurav Gupta.
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