India Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill will return to action this week as the side tours Sri Lanka for a crucial two-match Test series.
Smarting from the 2-1 ODI series defeat in England, Gill’s team will also have a point to prove in the longest format, with their World Test Championship (WTC) hopes hanging in the balance. However, Gill, who is not a part of India’s T20I set-up, will return home from the Test series later this month to participate in Punjab’s newly-launched Shere-e-Punjab T20 league.
The tournament is set to begin on August 30, two days after the conclusion of India’s Sri Lanka tour, with Gill and Gurnoor Brar being a part of national commitments. Besides the duo, current T20I stars Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma are also expected to feature in the tournament that concludes on September 13.
“The Sher-e-Punjab T20 League is a fantastic platform for young cricketers to showcase their talent and progress towards playing for Punjab and India. Punjab has always produced outstanding cricketers, and I believe this league will help discover many more. I congratulate the Punjab Cricket Association for this wonderful initiative and wish the league great success,” Gill said at an event related to the tournament on Sunday.
Six franchises representing Amritsar, Fazilka, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Bathinda will assemble their squads ahead of the inaugural season, the auction for which will take place on August 9.
A total of six teams will compete in 27 matches for the coveted title. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format, and each franchise will have one marquee player and at least two icon players.
Gill led India’s batting group during the tour to England, racking up 188 runs in three innings.