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Time for lights, camera, cricket at Mullanpur stadium
The Mullanpur stadium will host its first IPL game featuring Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals with a full-house in attendance
The tale of missed deadlines and what ifs will come to an end for the newly-built Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mullanpur as the facility will on Saturday host its first Indian Premier League (IPL) game featuring Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Delhi Capitals (DC) with a full-house in attendance.
It will be a monumental day for the state unit, which has been hosting IPL games at their Mohali stadium since 2008, catering to hordes of fans. They now boast of a new stadium with top-tier facilities.
While the Mohali stadium covered an area of 15 acres, the Mullanpur stadium is spread over 40 acres of land. It can house 33,000 spectators.
All roads lead to Mullanpur
The excitement is particularly palpable amid those living in the vicinity of the Mullanpur stadium.
“My exams just finished. I booked two tickets for the IPL game. My cousin has come from Jalandhar and we are excited to witness our first IPL game. I am hoping to watch more matches at this stadium,” said Ravi Inder Singh, 17. It is learnt that the Mullanpur stadium is expected to host five more PBKS home matches in April once the BCCI announce the second phase schedule of IPL.
PCA has organised a gala ceremony to mark the occasion with a group dance and a light show lined-up ahead of the game.
Fans living around the Mohali stadium are disappointed due to the focus being shifted to Mullanpur stadium. “The Mohali stadium is centrally located. I will miss watching international games here. The Mullanpur stadium is 45 minutes drive away and it can be very taxing. I won’t be going for the Saturday game. Sentiments are attached with the Mohali Stadium,” 39-year-old Shweta Thukral, a fan, said.
Players looking forward at ‘new challenge’
PBKS player Liam Livingstone said, “It’s a new stadium. We have had 5-6 training sessions to get used to the conditions here. We retained most of our players from last season and everyone’s excited for the challenges that lie ahead of us.”
DC captain Rishabh Pant will also be in focus as he is making a comeback to competitive cricket after a gap of 15 months. PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan will be hoping to put up a good show and start the IPL campaign on a winning note. The PBKS will be in action against Delhi Capitals at 3.30 PM IST on Saturday.
