Shubman Gill Edited World Cup Photo to Remove Sanju Samson? Here's a FACT CHECK

While the country was celebrating India's triumph in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, a misleading claim began circulating on social media involving Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson.

The viral post alleged that Shubman Gill deliberately edited a World Cup celebration photograph to remove Sanju Samson after replacing him in the playing XI during the tournament.

The claim spread widely on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Several users posted two images side by side, claiming one was the "original" photo featuring Sanju Samson while the other was an "edited" version shared by Shubman Gill.

An X account named "Beast" also shared the same pair of images and claimed that Shubman Gill had removed Sanju Samson from the celebration photo. The post triggered negative reactions, with many users criticising Shubman Gill in the comments.

Investigation

A closer examination of the two images shows that the claim is misleading. The photos are not an edited and original version of the same image. Instead, they were captured at different moments during India's post-match celebrations.

Several visual details reveal this clearly:

In the two images, Kuldeep Yadav appears in different poses, indicating the frames were taken seconds apart.

The position of the trophy also changes - in one frame it is held by Suryakumar Yadav, while in the other it appears with Tilak Varma.

The arrangement of players on the podium also varies slightly between the two images.

These differences show that the photographs were taken at separate moments during the celebration rather than being digitally altered versions of the same picture.

Verdict

The viral claim that Shubman Gill edited a World Cup celebration photograph to remove Sanju Samson is false.

The two images circulating online are simply from different moments of the celebration, not an edited photo.

Conclusion

The claim gained traction as fans compared two separate frames from the celebration without verifying their context. The incident highlights how easily misinformation can spread on social media during high-profile sporting events involving players such as Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson.