Former India Under-19 quick Amanpreet Singh Gill has died at 36 in Chandigarh. The Punjab Cricket Association confirmed the news on Wednesday; the exact cause is still unclear.
Gill was a right-arm medium-pacer – think brisk rather than outright fast – who came through the strong Punjab age-group system. Between 2006 and 2008 he played six first-class games for the state side, taking 11 wickets. He also made the inaugural IPL roster with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) before moving into selection duties for the senior Punjab squad.
“Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and member, senior selection committee Punjab,” the PCA wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and loved ones.”
Long-time team-mate Yuvraj Singh added: “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.”
Gill’s representative honours came in 2007 when he toured England, Malaysia and Sri Lanka with India Under-19s, playing several one-dayers and a three-day youth ‘Test’. Virat Kohli led that group, though Gill missed out on the squad that lifted the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.
Perspective: plenty of promising Indian juniors fall away once the conveyor belt speeds up. Competition is fierce; pace bowlers, especially, fight workload, injuries and a crowded field. Gill’s numbers – 11 wickets, average north of 40 – hint at the gap between youth cricket and the Ranji grind.
Yet his later role as selector shows he stayed involved. Former colleagues remember a quiet bloke who turned up, did his spells, then slipped back into the pack. Not flashy, but necessary; every dressing-room has a few.
The PCA is expected to hold a small memorial at the IS Bindra Stadium later this week.
