Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh mourn death of former India U-19 pacer Amanpreet Gill

Former India Under-19 and Punjab pacer Amanpreet Singh Gill has died in Chandigarh at the age of 36. Gill, who represented Punjab in domestic cricket and was part of India’s youth set-up, died on Wednesday. The exact cause of his death is not yet known.

Tributes followed from former team-mates and the Punjab cricket establishment. Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh both expressed their condolences, while Punjab Kings marked the loss by wearing black armbands during their IPL match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening.

Kohli, who shared the dressing room with Gill during their time in India’s Under-19 circuit, posted on X: "Shocked and saddened to hear about Amanpreet Gill's passing. Sending prayers and strength to his family and loved ones. Rest in peace. Om Shanti." Yuvraj also posted on X, writing: "Deeply saddened to hear about Amanpreet Singh Gill's passing. Shared the dressing room in our early days, he was a quiet, hardworking cricketer who loved the game. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. Rest in peace. Om Shanti."

Gill played six first-class matches for Punjab between 2006 and 2008 and took 11 wickets. A right-arm medium pacer, he was seen as a promising talent in Punjab cricket and featured in India’s youth set-up on tours of England, Malaysia and Sri Lanka in 2007. He also played several youth one-day internationals and a three-day youth Test for India in that period, although he missed out on selection for the Kohli-led squad that won the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.

He was also part of Punjab Kings, then known as Kings XI Punjab, during the inaugural IPL season in 2008. Later in his cricket journey, he remained involved with the game in the state as a member of Punjab’s senior selection committee. The Punjab Cricket Association said in a statement on X: "Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and member of the senior selection committee, Punjab. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones." The association also said Gill’s cremation will take place on Thursday at 4 pm at the Manimajra Cremation Ground in Chandigarh.

Gill’s death has brought tributes from those who knew him in India’s youth circuit and Punjab cricket, reflecting his place in the state’s system as a former player and selector. He is survived in memory by a career that took him through domestic cricket, India’s age-group set-up and the early years of the IPL.