Punjab will field a star-studded line-up in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy after Indian ODI captain Shubman Gill, world No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh were named in the squad, following the BCCI’s directive on mandatory participation in the domestic 50-over tournament.
Gill, who missed out on India’s T20 World Cup squad, and Arshdeep, a regular in India’s white-ball plans, are likely to be available only briefly.
With India’s ODI series against New Zealand beginning on January 11, the duo is expected to feature in two to three matches at most.
Punjab open their campaign against Maharashtra on December 24 and Chhattisgarh on December 26, fixtures where both players are expected to be available.
Abhishek Sharma, who is currently in contention only for T20Is, is likely to spend a longer stint with the state side. Placed in Group C alongside heavyweights Mumbai, Punjab will face them in a marquee clash in Jaipur on January 8.
By then, both Gill and Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma are expected to be unavailable due to international commitments, taking some sheen off the contest but not its competitive edge.
Punjab squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy:
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Harnoor Pannu, Anmolpreet Singh, Uday Saharan, Naman Dhir, Salil Arora (wk), Sanvir Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Jashanpreet Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Raghu Sharma, Krish Bhagat, Gourav Choudhary, Sukhdeep Bajwa.
