Shubman Gill (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary Like Virat Kohli’s recent home matches, India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill’s upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy match will be played without fans in the stands. It will be Gill’s first home match since being dropped from India’s T20 World Cup squad.Gill will line up for Punjab against Sikkim at the Jaipuria College ground on Saturday, but no general public will be able to watch the match from the venue.
Inside the story of why Shubman Gill was DROPPED from India’s T20I World Cup squad
The decision was taken in accordance with BCCI guidelines. Both Shubman Gill and Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh will feature in Punjab’s next two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches as per the board’s instructions. Punjab will face Sikkim on January 3 and Goa on January 6. While the match against Goa will be played at the KL Saini Stadium, the Sikkim match has been scheduled at the Jaipuria College ground. Due to security reasons and the absence of suitable seating arrangements for spectators, the match will take place behind closed doors. A BCCI source explained that only people associated with the college will be allowed to enter. “Students and staff can enter the premises, but there will be enough security measures including deployment of private bouncers. No outsiders will be allowed inside the school premises under any circumstances,” a source told PTI.“The planning was done much earlier. Only because of Rohit Sharma and anticipating the response, the Mumbai match had to be shifted from Anantam to the Sawai Man Singh Stadium,” the source added. Like the Vijay Hazare Trophy games with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Gill’s match will not be available for fans to watch on TV or online. There will be no live streaming or streaming of the game. Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh are expected to reach the venue late on Friday night. Their travel plans were affected by bad weather conditions in North India. “Both Gill and Arshdeep were supposed to arrive by the evening, but the prevailing weather conditions in North India have led to delays in their flights. Weather permitting, they will arrive late at night,” the source said. With fans unable to attend or watch the match live, Gill’s appearance in Punjab will remain a low-key affair. However, the game will still be important for Punjab as they continue their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with two key international players returning to domestic cricket.
