Who was Amanpreet Gill? Virat Kohli ‘shocked’ by sudden demise of former U-19 teammate

Former Punjab cricketer Amanpreet Gill's death has led to a wave of condolence messages from the cricketing world, including from former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh and veteran batter Virat Kohli. Gill was remembered by Yuvraj as a quiet, hardworking cricketer who loved the game.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Cricket Association also deeply mourned the passing away of one of its own. Punjab Kings cricketers also wore black armbands during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday to mourn the passing of Gill.

In a post on X, remembering Gill, Yuvraj wrote, “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,”

Meanwhile, Kohli, remembering his former teammate, wrote, “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 🙏”

“Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and member, Senior Selection Committee Punjab. He served Punjab cricket with dedication and passion, representing teams including India Under-19s, Kings XI Punjab and Punjab,” Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) wrote in a post on X.

“Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to the departed soul and strength to the family in this difficult time. 🙏 Cremation will take place today at 4:00 PM at Manimajra Cremation Ground, Chandigarh,” PCA added.

Who was Amanpreet Gill?

The 36-year-old cricketer was a right-arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batter. Gill made a name for himself after he represented India in the Under-19 team alongside notable players like Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Manish Pandey.

The bowler also featured in a 2007 U-19 tri-series in Sri Lanka where he took 9 wickets at an average of 9.44. In the final match of the series against Bangladesh, India won the clash by 129 runs and Gill finished with figures of 2 for 14 in his six overs.

Gill was also a part of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the 2009 and 2010 IPL seasons but didn't get a chance to showcase his skills in any game.

During 2006 and 2009, Amanpreet played six first-class matches and took 11 wickets with an average of 54.72 and an economy rate of 3.17.

After the end of his playing career, Gill served as a member of the Punjab Cricket Association's (PCA) senior selection committee.