Playoff games will be ‘very significant' for Mullanpur: Punjab Cricket Association secretary
"Hyderabad and Kolkata were initially supposed to host the last four games before the one week suspension of the tournament. The new venues for the Playoffs were decided by the IPL Governing Council keeping in mind the weather conditions and other parameters," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.
This will be the third final in four years in Ahmedabad. Mullanpur and Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), meanwhile, will host the IPL playoff games for the very first time. PCA secretary Dilsher Khanna is pleased about the new stadium in Mullanpur getting the opportunity to host the matches. "Honoured that the board thought about us and we will give it our best and host a great show. We are happy to host and very very thankful to be given the opportunity," Khanna told this daily.
The New PCA Stadium, which was established in 2021 and has been hosting domestic matches since, was officially inaugurated on March 23, 2024 as the home venue for Punjab Kings. Since then, the stadium has hosted nine IPL league games as the home venue for PBKS.
While it is yet to host an international game, the open air venue has the clearance from both the BCCI and ICC for the same. Hosting the IPL playoffs will certainly boost the profile of the venue which is all set to host the second T20I between India and South Africa men on December 11, 2025. Although there is no official confirmation or intimation to the PCA so far, the stadium was also floated as one of the venues for the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup.
Khanna believes the opportunity to host the IPL playoff is very significant for the venue and Punjab cricket. "We have a great facility and we have a very modern stadium. We will ensure that everyone goes there is very happy," Khanna said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Does India need a finisher? Why Gautam Gambhir believes India does not need one in the conventional sense
Under head coach Gautam Gambhir, India has been gradually moving away from a player-centric team to one that fits into the coach's mould, which many franchise teams have already embraced across T20 leagues. While Gambhir may still be figuring out his winning formula in the longest format, having endured a treacherous ride, the next six months will see him go about assembling a T20 squad potentially capable of defending the World Cup crown on home soil next February-March. While most of the pieces are more or less on the table and already fixed, there is one key hole – identifying the finisher– that distorts the picture. Making the search fascinating is Gambhir's concept of a finisher. Like most good T20 outfits, Gambhir is a staunch believer that the top-order should get the job done while the rest of the batting line-up should be fluid enough to complement the top three. So the finisher's job – the most challenging one in T20s — isn't entrusted to one batsman as the odds of failure are a lot less. So he prefers to keep everyone engaged in the role with fluidity being the common element. It is what India's T20 batting has become. In 15 T20Is under him, Gambhir has already shown batting depth will be a non-negotiable element. He has also gone a level up and employed a flexible batting model, which makes it tough for opposition to plan the match-ups around nailed-on spots. In short, there is flexibility in India's ranks like never before. With a preference to keep left-right combo running along the batting order, the finisher role has been a merry-go-round. In his first series in Sri Lanka, he depended on Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar and shuffled them in every game. With Nitish Kumar Reddy coming along during Bangladesh series, Gambhir got more adventurous in utilising all-rounders who are giving him at least six bowling options. With Pandya and Axar being sure starters and slotted below Surya, there is one spot that is still up for grabs. If India see Pandya as their new ball bowler, like they did against England, two spots could open up and apart from Rinku, Parag, Washington, Nitish and Dube vying for the two slots, India also have Jitesh Sharma in contention should they choose to alter their top-three. With multifaceted players being Gambhir's priority, his choices in the XI have seldom deviated from this plan. But what is also undeniable is India have to identify the two batsmen who will shore up this model. Among the lot, Rinku's temperament has stood out. Not a power-hitter who relies on muscle power, Rinku's six-hitting range is extraordinary against both pace and spin. The problem is he is one-dimensional and in the IPL, hasn't had the game time to strengthen his case. Then there is Parag, another batsman who is used to batting lower down the order for Rajasthan Royals and Assam in Syed Mushtaq Ali. Being designated at No 5 or 6, they look every bit a natural fit to the slot. Parag's off-spin delivered with a low trajectory like Kedhar Jadhav won't be overlooked either. Beyond the two are the two all-rounders Washington and Nitish, where one of them will invariably be in the mix for a spot depending on the conditions. Expected to be key assets thanks to their bowling, there is a bit of unknown about both when it comes to finding consistency in long-range hitting. Washington did show in England that there is still plenty of scope to expand his batting bandwidth, Nitish did show his capabilities against Bangladesh. Further tests are still needed and beginning with the Asia Cup, India has enough time to sort this out. That India have Pandya and Axar, two versatile batsmen, is a luxury that no team can boast. If there is one aspect that is seriously missing in India's batting ranks, it is the absence of a power-hitter like Tim David or Nicholas Pooran. To cover that, India has chosen to strengthen other aspects. So finding two more batsmen to support Pandya and Axar would bolster their chances of becoming the first team to win successive T20 World Cups.
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Mithali Raj reveals the key for India to win first Women's ODI World Cup
Image credit: BCCI Women NEW DELHI: Former India captain Mithali Raj believes the current women's team has what it takes to lift a maiden ICC Women's ODI World Cup — provided they can seize crucial moments during the tournament, which begins on September 30. India enter the eight-team event among the title favourites, but will have to contend with the experience and dominance of seven-time champions Australia and four-time winners England. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'I think (India) needs to seize those small moments during the big games. That's where the balance (is) of the teams that are in contention. They try to use more of those moments and try to shift the momentum to their side, and India need to seize those moments,' Mithali told ICC Digital on Thursday. Mithali, who captained India to runners-up finishes in 2005 and 2017, said winning the trophy at home would be a massive boost for women's cricket in the country. 'I mean, that is something that all the players, whoever picks up the bat, whoever wants to represent the country, would want to win the World Cup because so far India hasn't. 'Yes, we've come close twice, but we haven't got our hands on the Cup. It would be great to win a World Cup at home because that's a very different stage altogether... and giving all of us an opportunity to see that,' she added. While the spotlight will naturally be on captain Harmanpreet Kaur , Jemimah Rodrigues , Deepti Sharma, and Smriti Mandhana, Mithali believes a breakthrough performance from young pacer Kranti Goud could prove decisive. Goud, who emerged as one of the standout talents in WPL 2025, impressed during India's ODI and T20I series wins in England and has played four ODIs so far. 'I was quite impressed with Kranti Goud in England with her raw talent. She has played WPL (Women's Premier League), but she does not really have that much experience. But the grit that she gets as a seamer trying to keep pegging in and getting wickets (is impressive), and she picked up a six-wicket haul (in England) as well, so I would love to see her in the World Cup playing at home,' Mithali said. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Today
27 minutes ago
- India Today
IPL: Ashwin reveals how CSK pulled off a coup to secure Dewald Brevis
In a revealing insight into Chennai Super Kings' auction strategy, Ravichandran Ashwin explained how the franchise managed to pull off a coup to secure Dewald Brevis despite strong interest from other teams. In Ashwin's words, CSK landed themselves a "crown jewel" by signing Brevis as an injury replacement earlier this year during the his YouTube channel, Ashwin revealed that several franchises were keen to sign Brevis as a replacement, but CSK succeeded by offering the player a higher fee after intense negotiations with his agents. Brevis was in high demand during the IPL, despite going unsold at the two-day mega-auction last year. Ashwin said multiple teams had engaged with the 22-year-old batting prodigy, but most backed out as they were unwilling to pay more than his base price (Rs 75 lakh) required to secure his had a wild second half of the season for CSK," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. "I heard 2-3 teams were in talks with him, but they weren't willing to pay extra, so negotiations fell through." Brevis was signed by CSK on April 18, midway through the IPL 2025 season. Chennai were struggling with their batting lineup in the tournament and desperately needed to bring in new players. The team signed Ayush Mhatre and Brevis as replacements and reaped the rewards in the final few games of the season."If I come now and do well, my value goes up. So pay me for that value.' CSK nailed it by getting him for whatever number he negotiated. Now, they've got themselves a crown jewel," Ashwin said."I genuinely feel CSK cracked their combination in the back half, and they'll head into the mini-auction with Rs 30 crore in hand, with the potential to assemble a tournament-winning side. CSK's next season is looking prime and proper," he lit up in the IPL 2025, hitting 225 runs in 6 matches. He scored two half-centuries and batted at a strike rate of 180. Brevis had recently smashed his maiden T20I century for South Africa against Australia, breaking several records in the process, including becoming the youngest from his country to achieve the feat. - EndsMust Watch
