Shubman Gill made his return to competitive cricket in style during the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League 2026, producing an attacking cameo for Fazilka Falcons against Ludhiana Lions in Mohali on Sunday, September 6. The India ODI and Test captain wasted little time getting going, taking on Ludhiana captain Arshdeep Singh with two boundaries in successive deliveries.
Gill looked in good touch from the beginning and put together an aggressive innings before Kartik Chadha eventually dismissed him. The opener finished with 40 runs from just 21 balls, giving the Fazilka Falcons a valuable contribution at the top of the order.
Shubman Gill gets going in first game of Sher-E-Punjab T20 League season
Playing his first match of the season, Gill walked out with plenty of intent and immediately looked to score freely. After Vihaan Malhotra was dismissed early, he joined Anshul Chaudhary and helped Fazilka recover with a 35-run partnership from just 19 deliveries.
Gill continued attacking the bowlers and struck seven fours and a six during his short stay at the crease. His positive approach allowed Fazilka to keep the scoring rate high, although he could not convert the start into a half-century after falling for 40 off 21 balls.
Gill takes on Arshdeep Singh with back-to-back fours
Arshdeep was brought into the attack in the third over, but Gill quickly put pressure on the Ludhiana captain. The fifth ball of the over was driven towards deep backward point for four as Gill found the gap in the field. The next legal delivery went in a similar fashion as Gill once again found the boundary, this time placing the ball towards the deep square-leg region.
Two fours in succession underlined Gill’s attacking intent and gave Fazilka another boost early in the innings. Arshdeep endured an expensive outing overall, finishing with figures of 0/51 from his four overs. Gill, meanwhile, continued his impressive cameo before Kartik brought his innings to an end.
Here’s the video:
He’s finally here!!!
🌟𝙎𝙃𝙐𝘽𝙈𝘼𝙉 𝙂𝙄𝙇𝙇’s Sher-e-Punjab debut.
His first ever game in the competition. pic.twitter.com/xj3GXuhDZe
— Theory (@BainsTheory) September 6, 2026
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Kartik Chadha’s four-for restricts Fazilka Falcons to 170
Fazilka Falcons eventually finished with 170/9 in their 20 overs despite Gill’s quick start. After Malhotra’s early dismissal and Anshul’s 15 off 11 balls, skipper Sanvir Singh added 17 from just eight deliveries to keep the momentum going. The middle order struggled to provide sustained support, with Eish Rao making 25 while Pranshu Pratap and Aarush Latta were dismissed cheaply.
However, Prerit Dutta and Jaiveer Bhinder rescued the innings with a crucial 57-run partnership off 36 balls for the eighth wicket. Dutta scored 36 off 23, while Bhinder remained useful with 21 from 18. For Ludhiana Lions, Kartik was the standout bowler, producing an excellent spell of 4/9 in his four overs. His late wickets helped keep Fazilka from posting an even bigger total, while Arshdeep’s expensive spell gave the Falcons plenty of scoring opportunities.
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