Why is Shubman Gill not playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Sikkim?

Here's all you need to know about Shubman Gill's absence from the Punjab playing XI for the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Sikkim.

Shubman Gill, 26, was expected to mark his return to competitive cricket with the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Sikkim on Saturday. However, it wasn't meant to be as the Punjab captain was ruled out at the last minute due to food poisoning. According to Sportstar, both Gill and Arshdeep Singh were supposed to headline Punjab's playing XI, but only the latter made his way into the lineup as the India ODI and Test captain was sidelined at the last minute.

Here's all you need to know about Shubman Gill's absence (HT_PRINT)

“Shubman reached Jaipur on Friday, and was looking forward to playing the game, but late in the night, he was not feeling too well, so he was advised to take rest,” Punjab coach Sandeep Sharma told Sportstar.

Had Gill played the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Sikkim, then this would have been the first time that he would have played a game after being snubbed from the T20 World Cup squad.

Gill marked his return to India's T20 playing XI in the Asia Cup; however, the batter was unable to set the stage on fire, failing to hit a single fifty, and a below-par showing in the first three matches against South Africa proved to be the final nail in the coffin, leading to Gill being shown the door for the second T20 World Cup in a row.

Ever since Gill joined the T20 scheme of things and failed to get going with the bat, he faced a lot of criticism, as Sanju Samson was sidelined from the playing XI. Initially, Samson was positioned in the middle order; however, he was dropped from the playing XI.

The last T20I against South Africa saw Gill missing out from the playing XI due to a toe injury he faced while batting in the nets and Samson made the most of his chance, hitting a quickfire 37 off 22 balls, which seemingly was enough for the team management.

The match between Punjab and Sikkim was played at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground, and hence, the game had to be a closed-door affair with no streaming available. It is worth noting that the venue does not have seating arrangements for spectators.

The small gallery, located above the players’ changing rooms, is restricted to BCCI delegates, school and academy students.

Earlier, the BCCI had issued a directive, asking all centrally contracted players to feature in at least two rounds of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and this led to even Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma turning up for Delhi and Mumbai, respectively.

ODI team selection

The All-India Senior Men's Selection Committee is all set to pick the squad for the ODI squad for the three matches against New Zealand on Saturday. Gill is expected to attend the meeting as the Ajit Agarkar-led committee gears up to finalise the team.

Gill has been on the road since the Champions Trophy 2025, and the toll eventually was witnessed on the youngster's body as he ended up suffering a neck spasm in the first Test at the Eden Gardens against South Africa, leading to him being ruled out of the next match and then the ODI series.