Former India U-19 Cricketer Amanpreet Singh Gill Dies at 36; Yuvraj Singh Leads Tributes

Amanpreet Singh Gill, a former India Under-19 and Punjab domestic cricketer who represented the state in first-class cricket and once shared a dressing room with Virat Kohli during an Under-19 tri-series involving India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in the mid-2000s, has died at the age of 36 in Chandigarh. The Punjab Cricket Association announced his death on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Gill, who was born on September 16, 1989, in Chandigarh, was a right-arm medium pacer.

The Details

The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) announced Gill's death in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and Member, Senior Selection Committee, Punjab," the association said. The statement did not provide details on the cause of death.

Context

While Gill did not become a mainstream international name, he had been part of India's Under-19 pathway and represented Punjab in first-class domestic cricket, according to the Hindustan Times. His most notable involvement at the representative level came in the India Under-19 tri-series in the mid-2000s, which featured teams from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. During that tournament, Gill shared a dressing room with Virat Kohli, who would later become one of cricket's biggest global stars and one of India's most decorated batsmen.

In addition to his Under-19 representative career, Gill was part of the Kings XI Punjab Indian Premier League squad during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The franchise, which is now known as Punjab Kings, did not field Gill in any matches during those campaigns.

After retiring from playing, Gill remained involved in cricket as a member of the Punjab Senior Selection Committee. In that capacity, he contributed to the development of young cricketers in the state. The Times of India reported on his post-playing role, noting his continued commitment to the sport at the administrative level.

Gill's death drew an emotional response from former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who posted a tribute on X following the news. "Shared the dressing room in our early days," Singh wrote. "He was a quiet, hardworking cricketer who loved the game." Singh is widely regarded as one of India's greatest limited-overs players, having been part of national teams that won the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The story has gained significant traction across Indian and international sports media, according to coverage analysis, due in part to Gill's connection to Kohli and the tribute from Yuvraj Singh. Multiple tier-1 outlets, including NDTV Sports, Live Mint, the Hindustan Times, and the Times of India, reported the news. Yahoo Sports also covered the story, citing the same core details.

There is a minor discrepancy in the spelling of his surname across sources. While the majority of outlets consistently refer to him as "Amanpreet Singh Gill," some tributes—including the PCA's own social media post and Yuvraj Singh's message on X—refer to him as "Amanpreet Singh Shergill" or simply "Amanpreet Gill." The discrepancy may relate to a family name variant, though most consistent reporting uses "Gill."

Multiple sources noted that Gill's involvement in the India Under-19 setup placed him within a generation of players who would go on to shape Indian cricket at the senior level. While his own international playing career did not extend to the senior national team, his contribution to the domestic circuit and later to the selection committee represented a sustained commitment to the sport in Punjab, according to the Hindustan Times and NDTV Sports.

What's Next

The Punjab cricket community is expected to hold further memorial activities in the coming days as players and officials continue to pay tribute to Gill's contributions to the sport at both the playing and administrative levels.