Punjab appoint Amit Uniyal as head coach ahead of 2026-27 domestic season

Punjab have appointed Amit Uniyal as their head coach for the 2026-27 domestic season, replacing Sandeep Sharma in a complete overhaul of the team's backroom staff. The changes were announced on Saturday, August 8.

The new support staff sees TP Singh come in as batting coach, Harmeet Singh as bowling coach and Manish Sharma as fielding coach. They take over from Uday Kaul, Gagandeep Singh and Sandeep Sanwal, respectively. A new selection committee headed by Gaurav Gupta has also been constituted alongside the coaching appointments.

Uniyal brings direct familiarity with Punjab's cricketing structure, having served as assistant coach of Chandigarh in 2020-21 before taking on the role of Punjab's chairman of selectors in the most recent season. He becomes the fourth head coach Punjab has appointed in four seasons, following Aavishkar Salvi in 2023-24, Wasim Jaffer, and Sandeep Sharma, each of whom held the position for a single season.

Why has Punjab made such sweeping changes?

Punjab's red-ball record has been the primary driver of this restructuring. Across the last three Ranji Trophy seasons, the side won only three of their 21 matches and suffered ten defeats. Their white-ball form offered some relief, with a title in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during 2023-24, but sustained performance in the four-day format has remained elusive.

Instability in selection and leadership compounded the difficulties. During the most recent Ranji Trophy campaign, Punjab used 27 players, more than any other side in the Elite groups, and rotated through three captains. Naman Dhir led the side at the start of the season before Uday Saharan took over after two matches, and Shubman Gill captained the team for one game. The new selection panel under Gaurav Gupta is expected to bring greater consistency to squad management going forward.

What does Uniyal bring to the Punjab head coach role?

Uniyal is a former left-arm spinner who represented Himachal Pradesh in domestic cricket. His playing record in List A cricket spans 46 matches, and he appeared in two of four T20 fixtures for Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2009. His first-class wicket tally is subject to a discrepancy between sources and has been withheld pending editorial verification.

"Since everyone wants to play in the IPL nowadays, they focus more on T20 cricket. And it's the same everywhere, be it Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh or Mumbai. But we have the potential; we have the talent. All we need is to play as a unit," Uniyal told ESPNcricinfo.

"We want to do better in red-ball cricket this time, and for that, you need bowlers who can take 20 wickets. So we will work towards that.

"I don't know what happened last season. But obviously when the team is not winning, the changes are more. I just want us to play tough cricket without any fear of losing one's spot. If someone gets picked, he will get a proper opportunity," Uniyal mentioned further.

His coaching pathway, from assistant coach of Chandigarh to chairman of selectors at Punjab, gives him an understanding of the state association's structures and personnel before stepping into the head coach position. The broader challenge for Uniyal and the new support staff will be to convert Punjab's evident talent into consistent results in the Ranji Trophy, with a settled selection panel under Gupta intended to underpin that effort from the outset of the 2026-27 season.