Punjab Cricket Association celebrates Mullanpur’s IPL playoff debut
In a strategic move prompted by unpredictable weather, the BCCI has announced a reshuffle of the IPL 2025 playoff venues, with Mullanpur and Ahmedabad stepping in to host the season’s most critical matches. The New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur will stage Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator on May 29 and 30, respectively.
The decision, made during an IPL Governing Council meeting earlier this week, was driven by concerns over monsoon activity and venue readiness.
“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 marks Ahmedabad’s third IPL final in four years—further solidifying its place as a key IPL hub—while Mullanpur’s New PCA Stadium will make its playoff debut, a milestone moment for both the venue and the Punjab Cricket Association.
Mullanpur steps into the IPL spotlight
Established in 2021, the New PCA Stadium has steadily built its reputation by hosting domestic fixtures and serving as the Punjab Kings’ home ground since 2024. It hosted nine league matches this season alone, but the upcoming playoff games will mark the most high-profile events in its short history.
For PCA secretary Dilsher Khanna, the BCCI’s nod is a moment of immense pride.
“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 expressed.
He emphasized the venue’s readiness to handle the high-stakes encounters:
“We have a great facility and we have a very modern stadium. We will ensure that everyone goes there is very happy,” Khanna said.
The stadium is also scheduled to host the second T20I between India and South Africa on December 11, 2025, and is under consideration for the Women’s ODI World Cup, though no official confirmation has been made.
Rain impacts league fixtures; RCB vs SRH moved to Lucknow
The weather woes haven’t been limited to the playoffs. The league stage has also seen disruptions, with the high-profile clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), originally scheduled for May 23 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, now shifted to Lucknow.
This follows the complete washout of RCB’s earlier match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Bengaluru, which was to be a farewell tribute to Virat Kohli’s Test career.
“Similar to the playoffs stage, an additional one hour will be allocated to the playing conditions for the remaining matches of the league stage, starting Tuesday, May 20,” Saikia added.
RCB will remain in Lucknow for their final league game against Lucknow Super Giants on May 27.
