Abhishek Sharma, who led Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), will continue as their captain. The opener had wowed everyone in the last Indian Premier League (IPL) season and has since risen in ranks. He’d made his Team India debut subsequently and was one of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s retentions as well. Now, he’s his state’s white-ball captain as PCA (Punjab Cricket Association) names their squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2024-25.
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Punjab announces a young and promising side
Abhishek would lead a side filled with stars. Several IPL stars like Naman Dhir, Prabhsimran Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, and Mayank Markande will play under him. The biggest will be Arshdeep Singh, the highest wicket-taker for Team India in the last two T20 World Cups.
It may have surprised some when Abhishek was named captain over Arshdeep, but since the left-arm pacer didn’t play all of the matches in SMAT and could choose that again in VHT, it makes sense that the swashbuckling opener has been trusted as Punjab captain.
Placed alongside Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Saurashtra, and Puducherry in Group A, it won’t be easy for Punjab to make the quarterfinals. But given the amount of talent they have and a blend of youth experience present, they might find themselves at the podium on January 18.
Punjab’s squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25
Anmolpreet Singh, Naman Dhir, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Ramandeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Abhishek Sharma (c), Sanvir Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Mayank Markande, Ashwani Kumar, Sohraab Dhaliwal, Prerit Datta, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Jassinder Singh, Kunwar Kuckreja, Anmol Malhotra, Pukhraj Mann, Sahil Khan, Raghu Shivam Sharma
