The second round of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 put two big India names in the spotlight on Sunday, with Shubman Gill returning to the Punjab side against Chhattisgarh and Mohammed Shami being left out of Bengal's playing XI for their match against Services.
Gill, who missed Punjab's opening draw against Assam, was playing his first Ranji game of the season and had hoped to get some red-ball time before India's tour of New Zealand. His stay at the crease turned out to be a short one.
Shami's absence raised plenty of questions, since the pacer had taken five wickets in Bengal's first match and has been pushing for an India comeback. Bengal did not announce a reason, and the reports on why he sat out do not fully agree with each other.
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Shubman Gill falls early on Ranji return
Punjab won the toss and chose to bat first at the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, with Gill coming in at No. 4 under captain Uday Saharan. He lasted only five balls before left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal bowled him for 1 with Punjab on 69/3.
Gill appeared to play for the turn, but the ball held its line and went through the gap between bat and pad to hit the stumps. It was a disappointing start to a comeback that was meant to give him some useful time in the middle.
Captain Shubman Gill getting out for one run in Ranji trophy 💔 Batter luck 2nd inning 🤞 https://t.co/Q2Q1qt1By2
— Manmohan (@GarhManmohan) October 18, 2026
It is only one innings, and Gill still has a long tour ahead as India's Test and ODI captain, with five ODIs in New Zealand from November 4 to 15 and two Tests from November 19 to December 1, so there is plenty of time to find form.
He had recently been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for the fifth time, so the early exit looks more like a missed chance for batting practice than a sign of poor form. Punjab will need their other batters to rebuild after the early wickets.
Why is Mohammed Shami not playing against Services?
Shami was left out of Bengal's XI for the Elite Group C match against Services at the Palam A Ground in Delhi, with his younger brother Mohammed Kaif taking his place.
Shahbaz Ahmed and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal also came into the side under captain Abhimanyu Easwaran.
There has been no official statement, but one report said Shami was walking gingerly around the field before the toss after a long session with the physio. Another said Bengal's management held him back as a precaution after he bowled more than 35 overs in the previous match against Delhi.
A third version said he was not injured at all and had chosen to skip the game after being left out of India's squads for the New Zealand tour.
The 36-year-old had started the season well, finishing with five wickets against Delhi in Kalyani, including 4/30 in the first innings, and took 37 wickets in seven matches at 16.72 last season. He last played for India in the Champions Trophy final in March 2025.
Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep are also missing from the Bengal XI, but that is because both have been picked for India A and are with the squad for the unofficial Test series in New Zealand, which starts in Lincoln on October 24.