India captain Shubman Gill believes the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League can play an important role in identifying the next generation of cricketers from the state and helping them progress to the national team.
The inaugural edition of the league was launched at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Sunday. The tournament will be held from August 30 to September 13, with six teams competing across 27 matches.
Gill, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Prabhsimran Singh and Ramandeep Singh are among the leading Punjab cricketers who will feature in the competition. 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.
“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 also spoke about his own journey from Fazilka and credited his father for helping him pursue cricket.
“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.
The tournament was launched by PCA President Amarjeet Singh Mehta and Secretary Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, with the official logo also unveiled during the event.
The six franchises representing Amritsar, Fazilka, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Bathinda will assemble their squads at the player auction on August 9.
The competition will follow a round-robin format, with each franchise having one marquee player and at least two icon players. Teams will have a salary purse of Rs 45 lakh and can sign a maximum of 20 players.
PCA Secretary Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said Punjab’s rich cricketing tradition made the state an ideal place for a domestic T20 league.
“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.
PCA President Amarjeet Singh Mehta said the league would give young players the chance to share a dressing room with international cricketers and gain valuable experience before taking the next step in their careers.
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