KEY TAKEAWAYS:
-
Abhishek Sharma dismissed India‘s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill for 67 in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League.
-
The wicket came in the 10th over after Gill had struck him for a six and two fours.
-
Fazilka Falcons and Amritsar Soormas are led by the two India teammates.
Abhishek Sharma picks Shubman Gill’s wicket in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026 match
Childhood friends and former India opening partners rarely get to test each other quite like this, but the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League handed Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma exactly that opportunity.
The pair went head-to-head as Fazilka Falcons met Amritsar Soormas at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Monday, and it was Abhishek who came out on top.
Gill had been leading a rescue act after the Falcons slipped to 20 for 2 in the third over. Building on a promising cameo from his tournament debut, he went several steps further this time, compiling his first half-century of the competition to anchor the innings.
Abhishek was among the pick of the Soormas’ bowlers at that stage, having conceded only 10 runs in two overs and removed Anshul Chaudhary inside the powerplay. That set up a duel between the two long-time teammates that the crowd in Mohali had been waiting for all evening.
Gill went after his friend immediately once the left-arm spinner was brought back into the attack in the 10th over, launching him for a six over his head before adding two more boundaries through midwicket.
Abhishek held his nerve and got the last laugh, having Gill dismissed for 67 to end an innings that had briefly threatened to run away from him and every other bowler on the field. Gill and Abhishek have opened together for India in T20Is on multiple occasions, which only added to the needle in the contest.
The dismissal drew a light-hearted celebration from Abhishek, who could be seen laughing and celebrating as he wheeled away, aware of exactly who he had just removed and what the moment meant for a domestic league built to showcase Punjab’s homegrown talent.
MORE:Shubman Gill loses his wicket to CSK’s intern bowler in his first match of Sher-e-Punjab T20 league
Why these state leagues are proving their worth
Moments like this are precisely what the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League was designed to produce. Having India’s Test and ODI captain and one of the country’s most destructive white-ball batters competing directly against each other, rather than as team-mates, gives a fledgling competition a level of drama money cannot buy.
It also serves a more practical purpose. Both players are using the tournament to stay sharp between international assignments, and a contest this competitive, in front of a raucous home crowd at Mullanpur, offers exactly the kind of match sharpness that a net session cannot replicate.
For the young Punjab cricketers sharing the field with them, watching two of India’s biggest stars go toe to toe is worth more than any coaching manual.
For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary, and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages
Source: sports.yahoo.com
