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With a view to ensure foolproof arrangements for the upcoming match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans on March 31 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) - 2026, the newly elected Secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Vice President PCA Deepak Bali visited the Cricket stadium at Mullanpur in New Chandigarh on Thursday.
The dignitaries, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner, Mohali Komal Mittal and SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans, took stock of various seating blocks as well as the stadium, approach routes to the stadium, parking facilities, security measures, and deliberated at great length upon the significant issue of crowd management to make sure that the people get a hassle-free and wholesome cricketing experience. Emphasising ensuring top-notch arrangements in every aspect, Lok Sabha MP Hayer outlined that the smooth conduct of the matches goes a long way in earning a great name for Punjab as the host of important fixtures, which can lead to the state being allotted prestigious tournaments in future too. He also made a special mention of Punjab being selected as the host of the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey tournament later this year. Advocating for the absolute coordination between the Civil and Police administration, the Vice President PCA Deepak Bali said that apart from the fixture on March 31, as many as 3 more matches are scheduled to be held at the stadium, which is a matter of pride for the Punjab Government. The stadium is emerging on the world map as a hub of prestigious tournaments with the passage of time, added Deepak Bali. The Kings, who were the runners-up last season, have been training hard over the last few weeks. The squad is now gearing up for their highly anticipated season opener against the Gujarat Giants. Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, reached the IPL 2026 finals, but faced a defeat at the hands of the Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six runs in the summit clash. In the IPL 2025 final, RCB scored 190 runs batting first with the help of Virat Kohli's 43 and contributions from the middle order as well. Chasing 191 for their maiden IPL title, Punjab fell short by six runs despite Shashank Singh's 30-ball 61-run knock. Punjab Kings full squad for IPL 2026: Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Musheer Khan, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Cooper Connolly, Pravin Dubey, Vishal Nishad, Ben Dwarshuis. (ANI)
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