India is going to play their second T20I of the series at Mullanpur, and it will host its first-ever international game in this cold winter. Previously, Mullanpur hosted Punjab Kings IPL games. The pitch mostly suits the batters and saw many 200-plus totals, but in this time of the year when cold breeze just entered India, Mullanpur could be as unclear as Chandigarh's air itself, hazy with smog.
In the 2025 IPL, the venue hosted some serious matches and also offered some low-scoring thrillers and is expected to be a surprise test for both teams.
From the bowlers to batters, everyone has to face the challenges of the new venue, both teams have to adapt to the challenges of the new conditions,s as the bowlers have to control the due especially in the second innings.
Indian middle order has to overcome challenges
The Indian middle order in T20Is has not done anything extraordinary since the Asia Cup. Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube played some good innings in this phase, while the bad patch for the Indian captain continues. Surya Kumar Yadav, one of the first batters to change the template of the game and the style for India, will surely try to settle in these batting-friendly conditions.
Tilak Varma, who has played some good innings, also needs to show some consistency. Down the order, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel come handy with both bat and ball.
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What to expect
There was some fog, dew, and an edge for the chasing side, even though the team batting first won four of the six IPL matches played at the stadium.
As of now, there are no changes expected from either side.
