Former India Under-19 and Punjab cricketer Amanpreet Singh Gill has died at the age of 36. Amanpreet passed away in Chandigarh, leaving the cricket fraternity shocked. On May 7, Virat Kohli put out a tweet, mourning the loss of his former Under-19 teammate.
“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 (folded hands emoji),” Kohli wrote on X hours before the game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Earlier, on May 6, Punjab Kings (the Kings XI Punjab) were seen sporting black armbands for Amanpreet who was part of the squad in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) inaugural edition.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of Amanpreet Singh Shergill, who proudly represented Punjab and was a part of the Punjab Kings family. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire cricketing fraternity,” Punjab Kings posted on their official Instagram account.
India’s legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh offered his condolences to Amanpreet’s family. He recalled sharing dressing room with the pacer.
"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,” Yuvraj posted on X.
Amanpreet’s career highlights as a teenager
Left-arm pacer Amanpreet had represented Punjab in six first-class games and claimed 11 wickets, including a four-fer. His last first-class appearance was against Mumbai in 2008 where he dismissed skipper Wasim Jaffer for a six-ball duck and wicketkeeper-batter Vinayak Samant in first and second innings respectively.
"Punjab Cricket Association deeply mourns the sad demise of Amanpreet Singh Gill, former Punjab cricketer and Member, Senior Selection Committee Punjab,” the Punjab Cricket Association wrote on 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."
He played youth Tests and ODIs alongside Kohli in 2008. In the Under-19 Youth ODI tri-nation series, he bagged nine wickets from five games at an average of 9.44.