Shubman Gill missed Punjab’s Ranji Trophy 2026-27 opener against Assam in New Chandigarh on Sunday. The India Test and ODI captain was not named in the squad announced by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA). However, there is a possibility of Shubman featuring against Chhattisgarh in Punjab’s second game from October 18 .
In the absence of , Punjab will be led by former India U-19 captain Uday Saharan in the match against Assam. However, there are is no official word on Shubman either from or the PCA. Shubman’s omission from Punjab’s game against Assam comes after the national selection committee’s directive to play at least one Ranji Trophy match.
Accordingly, Ravindra Jadeja is turning out for Saurashtra, KL Rahul for Karnataka, for Punjab and for Bengal. Shubman is also not part of the India A squad and could use the Ranji fixture to get some game time before travelling to New Zealand, where he is expected to feature in the first three ODIs to prepare for the Tests.
Punjab: Uday Saharan(c), Salil Arora(w), Harnoor Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Ramandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Jashanpreet Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Harjas Singh Tandon
Another Indian superstar missing the first round of Ranji Trophy 2026-27 is Delhi Rishabh Pant. The left-hander was the captain of the Rest of India (RoI) team that won the Irani Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month. Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who was also RoI’s batting coach stated that Pant is dealing with a back spasm and viral fever.
Shukla stated that wicketkeeper-batter Pant had a swelling in his back and would be fine before the Test series against New Zealand. “Team is always first, and nothing is bigger than the team. This is a lesson for youngsters not to let go. There are many incidents such as the Anil Kumble one too.
“The one who does not give up always moves forward. There is some swelling in his back, but he will be fine for the New Zealand series. He is very solid. We will see him dominate in New Zealand and win games for India,” Shukla told RevSportz.
Delhi: Ayush Badoni(c), Yash Dhull, Sanat Sangwan, Ayush Doseja, Anuj Rawat(w), Sarthak Ranjan, Hrithik Shokeen, Navdeep Saini, Dev Lakra, Simarjeet Singh, Divij Mehra
