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The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season has finally gotten underway on Sunday (October 11), and India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill’s absence raised questions about his domestic cricket commitments.
The BCCI and Indian selectors have already made it clear that contracted players must be available for their domestic teams when they do not have international assignments. Earlier, Wasim Jaffer slams Yashasvi Jaiswal’s wicketkeeping plans.
Shubman Gill skips Punjab’s first Ranji Trophy match, eyes return against Chhattisgarh
Shubman Gill has missed Punjab’s opening Ranji Trophy 2026-27 match against Assam in New Chandigarh. However, Gill could return to action in Punjab’s second match against Chhattisgarh, which is scheduled to be played from October 18 to 21.
Gill’s absence comes at a time when the Indian selectors want available international players to play at least one Ranji Trophy match with several Indian stars returning to domestic cricket. Former India U-19 captain Uday Saharan is leading Punjab against Assam in his absence.
Well, there is no official information about why Gill has missed Punjab’s opening match against Assam despite the fact that India is scheduled to play a crucial three-match Test series in New Zealand. Gill recently led India to a 2-1 ODI series against the West Indies at home.
Shubman Gill likely for Ranji return before New Zealand tour
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill is not part of the India A squad and could benefit from playing domestic cricket before travelling to New Zealand. He is expected to play in the first three ODIs against New Zealand as part of his preparation for the crucial WTC Test series.
Punjab's playing XI vs Assam: 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
Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul return as Rishabh Pant ruled out of Ranji Trophy opener
Well, Ravindra Jadeja is playing for Saurashtra, KL Rahul is representing Karnataka, Gurnoor Brar is turning out for Punjab, and Akash Deep is featuring for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 opener. Amid this, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal endure horrible starts in Ranji Trophy 2026-27 opener.
But Rishabh Pant has also missed the first round of Ranji Trophy 2026-27 for Delhi due to health concerns. The wicketkeeper-batter, who recently led the Rest of India team to victory over Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Trophy, has been suffering from a back spasm and viral fever, it is reported.
Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who worked as the Rest of India team's batting coach, revealed that Pant had swelling in his back. However, he is expected to recover before India's upcoming Test series against New Zealand.
Shai Hope hits back at Shubman Gill with savage ‘250? Cool’ dig after West Indies shock India
Earlier, Shai Hope has hit back at Shubman Gill in style after leading the West Indies to a stunning six-wicket win over India in the second T20I in Ranchi on October 9. The West Indies captain took a cheeky dig at Gill by copying his viral Instagram caption after completing a massive run chase.
Gill had earlier scored an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls as India chased down 406 runs against West Indies in the second ODI. He later posted 406? Cool on Instagram, which grabbed everyone's attention. Hope has now responded after smashing an unbeaten 102 off just 45 balls to help West Indies chase India's huge target of 250 in only 18.3 overs.
Following the thrilling victory, Hope posted 250? Cool on Instagram, copying Gill's caption and turning the tables on the Indian captain.
