New Delhi: Team India’s ODI captain Shubman Gill is likely to play two matches for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) to prepare for the ODI series
against New Zealand. According to a Sportstar report, Gill will be available to play Punjab’s matches against Sikkim and Goa in the first week of January 2026.
There are speculations that the star batter might link up with the Punjab squad for the third and fourth group league matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. According to Sportstar, sources in the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) have confirmed to the website about Gill’s availability for two matches on January 3 and 6.
“He will join the team in Jaipur around January 1 for those two games. While he is interested in playing the final group league fixture against Mumbai as well, it will all depend on the BCCI’s scheduling for the camps ahead of the home series against New Zealand,” the source said as quoted by Sportstar.
Punjab’s brilliant start in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Punjab got off to a great start in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, winning the opening two matches of the tournament. They defeated Maharashtra by 51 runs and then thrashed Chhattisgarh by 9 wickets. Gill’s presence will further strengthen the batting line-up.
He has been training in Mohali after recovering from the foot injury, which ruled him out of the last two T20I matches against South Africa. The Men in Blue will play a three-match ODI series against New Zealand from January 11.
Ahead of the series, the team is likely to hold a camp in Vadodara, just a couple of days before the start of the series. In that scenario, Gill might miss the match against Mumbai.
Gill was recently dropped from the2026 T20 World Cup squad and has been out of action for a while due to an injury to his right foot. Last month, he was also ruled out of the second Test against South Africa due to a neck injury.
After the BCCI’s mandate that all players should participate in domestic tournaments when not on national duty, there were rumours that India’s ODI and Test skipper could be available for the entire Vijay Hazare Trophy, along with Abhishek Sharma.
