Mohali Ground Called PBKS' Fortress
- Punjab Kings went into the April 28 Rajasthan Royals match with a seven-game unbeaten run, and previews cast Mullanpur as a major edge. - The case for a Punjab “fortress” leaned on 13 points from seven matches, a record 265 chase, and batting at 11.74 runs per over. - Rajasthan ended that aura by chasing 223 and winning by six wickets in Mullanpur. (iplt20.com)
Punjab Kings entered Tuesday night’s Rajasthan Royals game as IPL 2026’s only unbeaten side, with seven matches without a loss and 13 points. (livemint.com) (espncricinfo.com) That form helped turn Mullanpur, the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, into the backdrop for “fortress” talk before the match. Punjab were hosting at their primary home base, with a 7:30 p.m. India start on April 28. (livemint.com) (cricbuzz.com) The numbers behind that mood were real. ESPNcricinfo’s preview said Punjab were scoring at 11.74 runs per over through six batting innings, the fastest rate any IPL team had posted. (espncricinfo.com) The same preview said Punjab’s batting average per wicket was 43.83, also the best across IPL seasons, and pointed to their 265 chase against Delhi as proof of a lineup that kept hitting through the order. (espncricinfo.com) (indianexpress.com) Rajasthan arrived with a different profile. Mint’s preview said the Royals had lost three of their previous five matches and sat fourth with 10 points from eight games. (livemint.com) That contrast made the venue part of the story: an unbeaten Punjab side, a home crowd in New Chandigarh, and a Rajasthan team trying to stop a slide. The all-time head-to-head still leaned Rajasthan, 17 wins to Punjab’s 13 before the match. (livemint.com) Then the match cut against the “fortress” idea. Punjab made 222 for 4, powered by Marcus Stoinis’ 62 off 22 balls, but Rajasthan chased 228 for 4 in 19.2 overs to win by six wickets. (indianexpress.com) (iplt20.com) The chase came in phases. The Indian Express said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave Rajasthan an early burst, Yashasvi Jaiswal added a half-century, and Donovan Ferreira plus Shubham Dubey finished the job. (indianexpress.com) The official IPL report named Ferreira player of the match for 52 not out from 26 balls, the innings that closed Punjab’s first defeat of the season. (iplt20.com) So the explainer is simple: Mullanpur was called Punjab’s stronghold because Punjab had turned every week of IPL 2026 into a batting sprint, and they were bringing that run home. Rajasthan’s 223 chase was the first result that broke the spell. (espncricinfo.com) (iplt20.com)
