While Punjab Kings lost their opening home match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA International Stadium at Mullanpur last week, it also meant that the team won only two of its last 15 home matches in the last two years.
The Shreyas Iyer-led Kings won their opening two matches in the IPL this season but those two wins came while playing away. As the Kings face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Tuesday evening at the Mullanpur Stadium, Punjab Kings assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves said that the team might see a new combination.
“We have a good set of pace bowlers, spinners, and batting line-up. Hence, we do have a very balanced unit. You might see a slight change tomorrow in the playing combination. I cannot discuss or say anything about it but you will see tomorrow,” said Gonsalves while addressing the media at the stadium.
Last week, Punjab Kings suffered a 50-run loss against Royals. Chasing a target of 206 runs, Punjab Kings could only reach a total of 155 for 9 resulting in their first loss at home this season. The team will play a total of seven home matches this season with four matches at the Mullanpur Stadium and three at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. When asked about Punjab Kings failing to understand home conditions, the coach was quick to talk about the team’s away wins and the opponents in the away matches losing their home matches.
“We had been to Ahmedabad and we beat Gujarat. It was their home and they lost the match. We went to Lucknow and we beat them at their home. So, there is no home advantage in the IPL. I just feel that Rajasthan played better on the given day and that’s it.” said the coach.
When asked about the change in the nature of the wicket in T20 format, the coach was of the view that it’s too early to judge any team based on pitches or the format. “I really don’t see any major change in the wickets in a 40-over game. There is nothing much to it. T20 is all about who does well on that given day. If you see CSK, which has been one of the top teams, they have lost the last few games. It does not mean that they are a bad team or not doing well. It is very early in the tournament to judge anyone. We have just started,” said the coach.
Meanwhile, while CSK have lost their last three matches, fans were waiting to get a glimpse of former Indian captain M S Dhoni outside the stadium. The 43-year-old did not attend the team’s practice session on Monday with fans waiting near the entrance of the stadium to get a glimpse of their favourite star.
Traffic advisory issued for reaching stadium
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The PCA has also issued a traffic advisory for the general public for the IPL matches at the Mullanpur stadium.
From Dakshin Marg: Cricket fans can take left from Mullanpur-Chandigarh barrier to get on the road toward Baddi-Kurali. They can then take a left from the Baddi-Kurali road, near the Omaxe shop building on the PR-7 road (airport road). The fans can take left from the airport road towards the stadium road.
Alternatively, after taking left from the Mullanpur-Chandigarh barrier to get on the road toward Baddi-Kurali, the fans can turn left, near the Eco City 1 township and get on the PR-6 road and reach the stadium road.
From airport road: If fans are coming from the Baddi / Kurali road, go straight on the PR-7 road and take right towards the stadium road. If fans are coming from the Kurali side, take a right towards the stadium road.
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From PGI Madhya Marg Road: The fans have to go straight on the road toward Baddi-Kurali road and take a left to get on the PR-7 road (airport road). Then, they can take left from the airport road towards the stadium road. Alternatively, after taking left from the Mullanpur-Chandigarh barrier to get on the road toward Kurali, the fans can turn left, near the Eco City 1 township and get on the PR-6 road and reach the stadium road.
The general public can park their vehicles at P4, P5, and P6 with a payment of Rs 200 for a four-wheeler and Rs 100 for a two-wheeler as fees.
