Revealed: Why Shubman Gill skipped Vijay Hazare Trophy match vs Sikkim despite BCCI’s strict orders?

Indian ODI captain Shubman Gill once again violated the BCCI diktat to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he missed one of his first games of the season against Sikkim. The batter decided to feature in the domestic one-day tournament after he was snubbed from India's T20 World Cup squad.

Indian youngster Shubman Gill has had the most eventful year of his career in 2025, as he was named the captain of the Indian team across the Test and ODI formats, made his T20I comeback for India, and scored his maiden SENA hundred. However, the all-good year did not meet the best end, as he was snubbed from the ICC T20 World Cup squad.

After being snubbed of a T20 World Cup spot, probably due to his low form and his lack of flexibility with the current Indian combination, Gill decided to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for his state team, Punjab, to prepare for the upcoming ODI events.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Why did Shubman Gill miss the Punjab vs Sikkim match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy?

Shubman Gill was supposed to play for Punjab in the round-five clash against Sikkim in Jaipur on Saturday. Punjab are playing their matches at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground, which is located within a school premises and hence does not have any seating arrangements as well.

Gill, who was supposed to play for Punjab or, more ideally, lead them in the match, missed the game due to travel issues. Gill's flight landed in the city at around 2 am and was cancelled twice before taking off from Mohali. Reports also revealed that even his kitbag arrived much later.

“Gill’s flight from Mohali to Jaipur was cancelled twice due to fog, which is prevalent at this time of the year in north India. He only managed to reach Jaipur at 2 am. His kit bag also arrived very late,” a source in the Punjab Cricket Association told TOI on Saturday.

Shubman Gill will return to the Indian side for the ODIs against New Zealand

Shubman Gill missed many of India's matches recently due to a neck injury and has struggled for form in T20Is. As a result of this, he has been dropped from the shortest format ahead of the marquee tournament. Gill misses out on the tournament twice in two years.

However, the ODI captain, who missed the three-match series against South Africa, will return to take charge of the Indian team against New Zealand. The three-match ODI series begins in Vadodara on the 11th of January.

However, Shubman Gill will have a long break after the ODI series, as the Indian team plays the five-match T20I series followed by the month-long ICC tournament. India have no further series scheduled post the World Cup, citing the IPL.

Arshdeep Singh dominates on Vijay Hazare Trophy return

Alongside Gill, the Indian left-arm fast bowler, Arshdeep Singh, was also supposed to make a comeback for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Arshdeep has been one of the busiest players for India, featuring in every ODI and T20I game against the Proteas.

The left-armer dominated on his return to Indian domestic cricket and picked up a five-wicket haul against Sikkim. With 5/34 in his 10 overs, he helped bundle Sikkim for just 75 runs in their 22.2 overs.

Arshdeep Singh would next play the ODIs and then the T20Is against New Zealand before turning to the T20 World Cup squad. Arshdeep Singh was India's highest wicket-taker in the victorious 2024 World Cup.

ALSO READ: Money over humanity? BCCI rejects Sri Lanka’s charity T20s proposal to raise funds for Cyclone Ditwah victims