Punjab's new home venue

Punjab Kings have shifted a big part of their 2026 Indian Premier League home season to New Chandigarh, making the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium their primary base before three May games move to Dharamsala. (punjabkingsipl.in) The Punjab Kings schedule lists home matches in New Chandigarh on March 31 against Gujarat Titans, April 11 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, April 19 against Lucknow Super Giants, and April 28 against Rajasthan Royals. It then shifts to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala for home games on May 11, May 14, and May 17. (punjabkingsipl.in) Punjab Kings opened the season at New Chandigarh on March 31 and beat Gujarat Titans by 3 wickets. Their April 11 fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad was also scheduled at the same ground, showing the venue is not a one-off stop but a working home base. (espncricinfo.com) The ground itself is still new enough that teams are building a fresh playbook for it. Sporting News described it as a balanced surface with help for pace bowlers, an average first-innings total of about 170, and frequent late-evening dew that can make chasing easier because the wet ball is harder for spinners to grip. (sportingnews.com) That matters for team selection and match-day decisions. The same venue profile lists Mumbai Indians’ 228 for 5 against Gujarat Titans in 2025 as the highest total there and Kolkata Knight Riders’ 95 against Punjab Kings in 2025 as the lowest, which is a wide enough range to keep captains guessing. (sportingnews.com) Punjab Kings are also not treating New Chandigarh as their only home. Their official 2026 fixture list keeps the split-home model that has long been part of the franchise’s calendar, with the season starting in the plains and finishing its home leg in the hills at Dharamsala. (punjabkingsipl.in) Venue reports around the April 11 match show how much operational work sits behind that switch. CricTracker’s pre-match venue coverage said hosting in New Chandigarh requires separate planning around transport, practice access, security, hospitality, and fan communication as the club settles into local routines. (crictracker.com) Punjab Kings’ own site has leaned into that identity shift, promoting the New Chandigarh fixture as a homecoming moment with “Sadda Akhada, Sadda Momentum” ahead of the Sunrisers game. The slogan is marketing, but the schedule shows the larger point: Punjab Kings now have to make New Chandigarh feel like home fast. (punjabkingsipl.in)