When IPL moved back to its familiar home-and-away setup in 2023, Punjab Kings found themselves spread across three different bases—Mohali, Dharamsala, and New Chandigarh. Most franchises managed with one venue, or at most two, which made it simpler to shape squads around the local rhythm. For Punjab, splitting their season between three grounds made that kind of planning feel almost impossible, particularly as they were still trying to establish a clear on-field identity.
Under the current management, New Chandigarh has been set as the main base, and the team’s composition has been aligned to suit the venue’s demands. The impact of that focus was evident again in today’s game, where results reflected a growing sense of match awareness. After finishing 2023-24 with the weakest combined home record—winning only 2 of 14—Punjab have climbed to a 5-3 run since 2025, including four wins in seven matches at New Chandigarh.
Quick facts: New Chandigarh’s Powerplay edge
- Punjab have improved from 2 wins in 14 home games in 2023-24 to 5 wins in 8 games since 2025.
- Since 2025, Punjab have won 4 of 7 matches at New Chandigarh.
- Since Powerplay scoring began there in IPL 2024, batters average 37.74 during the Powerplay.
- After the Powerplay, the batting average drops to 20.99—lowest among all IPL venues.
- There is a 16.75-run-per-wicket gap between the Powerplay and later phases.
- In 13 IPL games at the venue, the side ahead after the Powerplay has won 10 times.
- In nine of those 10 cases, the winning margin after the Powerplay was more than 10 runs (using DLS par scores).
- Only three matches have been won by teams that were behind at the Powerplay stage.
The reason that clarity matters so much is simple: New Chandigarh places a premium on getting the Powerplay right. Unlike some IPL grounds that consistently behave like batting paradises, this venue punishes loose starts. The boundary size is large for the league, and once the field opens up, scoring becomes noticeably more difficult.
Since Powerplay scoring was introduced at the venue in IPL 2024, the numbers underline the contrast. Batters have averaged 37.74 in the Powerplay, but that falls steeply to 20.99 once the overs move on. The 16.75-run-per-wicket swing between the two phases shows how dramatically the match conditions shift, and it’s a pattern Punjab have learned to exploit.
Interestingly, Hyderabad’s home ground for SRH sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, implying less change across phases there. At New Chandigarh, however, the venue’s identity shows up again and again in match outcomes. Out of 13 IPL matches at the ground, the team that is ahead at the end of the Powerplay has won 10 times, and nine of those victories came with margins exceeding 10 runs when measured using DLS par scores.
There have been only three instances where the eventual winners were trailing at the Powerplay mark. Two of those came from teams that began cautiously in pursuit of chases above 200, while the third was an outlier: Punjab defended 111 against KKR after a dramatic collapse. That context helps explain why being “ahead” after the Powerplay is such a reliable indicator at this venue.
In the match in question, Punjab’s Powerplay output of 93/0 was behind SRH’s 105/0 in raw terms. Yet on the DLS par line, Punjab effectively held a 39-run advantage, which better captured who was truly controlling the contest on this ground. The gap between absolute runs and DLS position is part of what makes New Chandigarh so unforgiving for teams that assume a steady scoring rate across phases.
SRH’s Powerplay problems—visible since the season opener—reappeared. Even after a fast start, they couldn’t keep the momentum going once the field spread and the game moved beyond the early overs. Punjab responded strongly after the initial burst, restricting SRH to 114 runs in the final 14 overs at an economy of 8.14 per over, a slowdown that kept SRH’s total below what the pitch would typically allow.
Punjab’s bowlers leaned into the venue’s characteristics. With the larger boundaries in play, they used smart changes of pace and pressure in the middle overs to choke the scoring tempo. The way the match tightened was summed up in Heinrich Klaasen’s difficult evening—he managed only two boundaries in his 33-ball stay, a stark reflection of how hard it was to settle once the Powerplay phase passed.
SRH, meanwhile, lacked a consistent plan with the seamers. They repeatedly missed their correct lines and lengths, giving Punjab’s batters room to set the terms of the innings. Even with a notable effort from their uncapped spin duo, SRH couldn’t fully impose control on a surface that demands precision.
Punjab’s pacers endured an early bruising spell, conceding 97 runs in the Powerplay at 16.17. But the recovery was immediate and impressive: they then picked up 5 for 79 in the remaining overs at 7.18. SRH’s seamers offered no breakthroughs across the entire match, leaking 74 in five Powerplay overs and another 69 in the next five overs after that.
Ultimately, it looked like a clash between two contrasting approaches. On a ground that rewards adaptability, Punjab showed the kind of tactical flexibility needed to win at home, while SRH appeared to be relying on a more one-dimensional template. In a venue where the Powerplay swing can decide the story, Punjab’s clarity proved decisive.
