Gill and Prabhsimran return as Punjab prepare to host Chhattisgarh in Ranji Trophy second round

Punjab will field Shubman Gill and Prabhsimran Singh as batting reinforcements when they take on Chhattisgarh in the second round of the Ranji Trophy at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh starting Sunday.

Gill, who skipped Punjab’s opening-round match, comes back into the state side for the second fixture and aims to find form before departing for New Zealand; Prabhsimran rejoins after completing his India-A assignments. Gill enters on the back of the fastest double century in ODIs but produced scores of 0 and 14 in his last Ranji appearance and has averaged 30 since the BCCI required Test regulars to play domestic first-class games.

Punjab’s batting depth was demonstrated in the opening round when a youthful group delivered centuries: Vihaan Malhotra, Emanjot Singh Chahal and Salil Arora each reached three figures to help the side secure a first-innings lead against Assam. The presence of Gill and Prabhsimran supplements that core rather than sole reliance upon it.

Concerns about Punjab’s bowling unit, which had been hastily assembled, were eased by a late charge for victory in the same game when the attack claimed six wickets across two sessions on what the report describes as a flat track. That finish gave Punjab an opportunity to attempt a win despite the surface conditions.

Chhattisgarh arrive having collected a solitary point from their opening match against Saurashtra, a result the report attributes to a top-order failure that left them unable to chase down a first-innings total of 392. Captain Anuj Tiwary and the middle order offered resistance but were unable to alter the outcome sufficiently.

The report notes that Amandeep Khare and Ayush Pandey have recently returned from India-A duty and that their longer contributions would have improved Chhattisgarh’s position in that game. New signings Sandeep Warrier and Dharmendra Jadeja are described as not yet having matched expectations, although Dharmendra did dismiss Ravindra Jadeja in the previous match.

Punjab view the second-round encounter as a chance to press for a victory against Chhattisgarh, with the match scheduled to start on Sunday at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh.