Fans throng stadium to root for Punjab Kings

Unlike the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Maharaja Yadavindra International Punjab Cricket Association Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, there was less chaos on the roads and inside the stadium today. Fans turned up in large numbers to watch Punjab Kings play their first home game of the season against Rajasthan Royals.

Spectators did face some trouble as vehicular movement for the general public was opened from one side only. The Dhanas-Mullanpur link road was opened only for VIP vehicles, while the other motorists were diverted through village roads. The road from the New Chandigarh flyover witnessed most of the traffic, leading to long queues of vehicles. Inside the stadium, the newly installed canopies protected the spectators from heat. Outside, the entry to be stadium was smooth.

However, those arriving at the venue just before the match time got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic and had to wait in long queues at the gates. While the parking arrangements were better than last year, the Mohali traffic police towed away around 100 vehicles parked on the roadside.

A jam-packed stadium clearly depicted the home support for Punjab Kings. “I am a huge fan of Shreyas Iyer and he is rightly called Sarpanch of the team. He is a great player and I just wish he lifts the IPL trophy for Punjab Kings this year,” said Pankhuri, a spectator.

“I was here last time as well, but this year the facilities were better, if not the top level. The parking was smooth and the route info was put up at proper spots,” said Anoop Bhardwaj, another spectator.

While there was a mixed response from the spectators before the start of the match, the post-match nightmare of heavy traffic rush continued. “It’s better to leave the stadium on time instead of waiting till the last ball,” said Amrinder, a cricket fan.

The table toppers Punjab Kings drew a huge attention from the home crowd. The fans, wearing the symbolic team merchandise, turned the stands into “red”. “The team is performing fairly well and I hope they just continue winning all their matches. A totally revamped team is looking good to defeat their opponents in all their home matches,” said Shikha from Ludhiana.

“This is for the first time I am watching a match here. The main problem was parking, as I had to walk a bit with my father. There was shuttle bus service, but it was not so frequent,” said Mohini.

Dhoni to feature in april 8 match

The organisers are also expecting a huge crowd at the next match on April 8 when Punjab Kings will be facing Chennai Kings. The former IPL champion side is currently placed 8th on the points table, but attracts a lot of attention from the fans, especially for MS Dhoni.