The Ranji Trophy resumed after a near two-month hiatus, with Round 6 of the Elite Group stage getting underway on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The Indian ODI team members returned to domestic cricket, but the players faced difficulties because the venues had spin-friendly conditions.

The day featured highly publicized events, which included Shubman Gill's disappointing performance during Punjab's Elite Group B match against Saurashtra. Gill made his return to the Ranji Trophy after his last appearance in January 2020 when he faced the left-arm spinner Parth Bhut at Niranjan Shah Stadium (Ground C) and he got out without scoring after two balls. Bhut produced outstanding results by taking five wickets while conceding 33 runs on a pitch that turned sharply.

Gill batted at an unfamiliar No.5 position while Punjab's middle order showed difficulties handling the ongoing spin attack. The day proved challenging for batsmen because 23 wickets fell during the opening day. Punjab reached a total of 139 all out after Prabhsimran Singh Anmolpreet Singh and Uday Saharan provided temporary resistance. Saurashtra's bowlers maintained tight control while Ravindra Jadeja and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja backed Bhut through their strong performance.

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🚨 Shubman Gill was once again got robbed by the umpire. He was clearly not out, as there was clear bat before pad, but the umpire still gave him out & there was no DRS available. The same thing happen in his last Ranji match where he was given lbw out when he was batting on 102. pic.twitter.com/LrwDEBvuYi

— Ahmed Says (@AhmedGT_) January 22, 2026

Saurashtra take firm control on spin-friendly pitch as Punjab look to bounce back on Day 2

Saurashtra chose to bat first and scored 172 runs, with Jay Gohil's composed 82 serving as the match's most impressive performance. The best bowler for Punjab was Harpreet Brar, who took six wickets while allowing 38 runs. Saurashtra ended the day with a second innings score of 24 for 3, which gave them a 57-run overall advantage.

The match included a celebratory element because the Saurashtra Cricket Association honored Arpit Vasavada for his 100th first-class match together with Cheteshwar Pujara Jaydev Unadkat and Ravindra Jadeja. For Gill, the day will come to focus on hitting back at Day 2, if Punjab scored in his comeback to Ranji Trophy cricket trying with real efforts to retrieve the game in return.