Shubman Gill's return date revealed after T20 World Cup 2026 snub; set to play THIS tournament

Shubman Gill is not included in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad.

India ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill and pacer Arshdeep Singh have been confirmed to play in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 tournament.

Notably, Gill was not included in the India T20I squad that was announced for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the ICC event from February 7 to March 8.

The BCCI had announced the team a few days ago, and despite being the vice-captain of the Indian team in T20Is since his return to the format in the Asia Cup, Shubman Gill was left out of the 15-member squad.

Gill struggled in the shortest format over the past year, managing 291 runs in 15 innings at an average of 24.25. Shubman failed to score a single half-century in more than 15 T20I matches, and his best score was 47 runs against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025.

Shubman Gill set to play in VHT along with pacer Arshdeep Singh

According to The Times of India journalist Gaurav Gupta, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh have confirmed their participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 tournament for Punjab. They’ll be scheduled to turn out for Punjab in the next two games of the VHT tourney that will be played in Jaipur.

Earlier in December, Shubman Gill had confirmed his availability to the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) about the 50-over domestic cricket tournament.

“Shubman will be playing the two games in January – on 3rd and 6th – before joining the team for the ODI series versus New Zealand. He also wants to play the remaining rounds of Ranji Trophy for Punjab,” A PCA official told TimesofIndia.com.

It is expected that 26-year-old Shubman Gill will participate in Punjab’s matches against Sikkim on January 3rd and against Goa on January 6th in Jaipur. This will be a significant return for Shubman in domestic cricket.

Gill will then travel to Vadodara to play for India in the ODI series against New Zealand, which begins on January 11th, and the three-match series will conclude in Indore on January 18.

Now that he is concentrating on ODIs and Tests, the Vijay Hazare Trophy gives Gill the perfect opportunity to improve his 50-over technique.

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