FACT CHECK: Did Shubman Gill Remove Sanju Samson From T20 World Cup Photo on Instagram?

While the Indian cricket team was celebrating their T20 World Cup victory after defeating New Zealand in the final, a misleading social media post featuring Indian test team captain Shubman Gill and Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson began circulating widely across the cricketing world.

Shubman Gill's Viral Photo Controversy

The viral post in question was shared by Shubman Gill on his Instagram account, showing Team India's trophy celebration, in which Sanju Samson was not visible. This led to widespread confusion among fans, with many alleging that Gill had deliberately edited Samson out of the photograph.

The claim spreading across X (formerly Twitter) suggested that Gill had intentionally removed Samson from the celebration photo, possibly as a personal slight, given that Samson had been replaced in the playing XI at some point during the tournament. Several users accused Gill of sharing a doctored version of the original photo.

Fact Check: What the Investigation Revealed

However, a fact-check of Gill's Instagram post tells a different story. The photograph shared by the Gujarat Titans captain is, in fact, an original and unedited image — simply captured at a different moment during Team India's celebrations. It is not an altered version of any other widely circulated photo, and there is no evidence to suggest Samson was removed from the picture. The claims circulating on social media are therefore unsubstantiated.