Indian captain Shubman Gill believes the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League will help discover future India stars. Punjab players like Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Prabhsimran Singh and Ramandeep Singh will play in the tournament.
However, Gill and Brar are expected to join their respective teams after returning from India’s tour of Sri Lanka, which ends on August 28.
Meanwhile, the inaugural edition of the league was launched at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday. The competition will be held from August 30 to September 13, with six teams playing across 27 matches.
“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.
Gill gave credit to his father for helping him play a key role in his career and for supporting him when he was trying to rise through the ranks.
“We also run a cricket academy in our village where free coaching is given so that children from the nearby areas can come and play there. Whenever my father gets some free time, he goes to the academy to watch the children play. I think it is because of his love and passion for cricket that I am sitting here today,” Gill said.
PCA Secretary Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said Punjab has produced world-class cricketers in the past and he is optimistic that the upcoming T20 tournament will help them unearth new talent.
“Punjab has always been one of India’s strongest contributors to cricket. From Lala Amarnath to Yuvraj Singh and now players like Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur, the state has consistently produced world-class cricketers. The depth of talent in Punjab is unmatched, and we believe the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League will become one of the country’s premier domestic T20 competitions,” he said.
Gill will next lead India in a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
