A Closer Analysis of the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium

Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Mohali that was built in 1993 and has a capacity of 26,000. Due to its mouthful of a name, it is often called the Mohali Stadium instead. It is the home stadium of the Punjab cricket team and the Kings XI Punjab. The locals get to see international cricket here quite often, with, at the time of writing, the last match being a T20 match between India and South Africa on the 18th September 2019.

History of the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium

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This stadium took three years to build and cost ₹25 crore, but when you see it in person you will realise that the cost and the time was well worth it. If you visit this stadium, you might also notice the unconventional layout of the floodlights as well as their height. There is an airport nearby, so the designers thought that it was best for the floodlights to have short pillars to lower the risk of planes colliding with them.

When it was first built, the pitch was lively and assisted the fast bowlers, but it has now slowed down a touch and provides spin bowlers with some assistance too. However, it is not a tricky pitch to bat on either, meaning that there is something for everyone. This always makes for entertaining matches.

The first international match at this stadium was an ODI (Hero Cup) against South Africa on the 22nd November, 1993. India batted first and scored 221 runs in 49.2 overs. Vinod Kambli top scored for the home side with a score of 86. In reply, South Africa could only muster 178 runs from their allotted 50 overs. Salil Ankola was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 3 wickets for 33 runs from the 10 overs that he bowled.

The following year, the locals got to watch their first test match when India took on the West Indies. However, they didn’t get the result that they were after the visitors went on to win by 243 runs. Jimmy Adams was the standout player in the match as he scored 174* in the first innings and then followed that up with 78* in the second innings.

"The locals got to experience Cricket World Cup fever in 1996 and in 2011. As of November 2019, the stadium has hosted 13 test matches, 25 ODI matches, and 5 T20 matches."

What Great Games Have Been Played at This Stadium?

  • Australia V West Indies in 1996: This was a day/night Cricket World Cup semi-final match that whoever was there watching it will still remember to this day. Australia batted first and managed to score 207 from the 50 overs thanks to a 72 from Stuart Law and a 69 from Michael Bevan.

    In reply, Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored 80, Brian Lara chipped in with 45, and Richie Richardson hit 49, but they fell short of their target by just 5 runs. This was mostly down to Shane Warne, who picked up 4 wickets from 9 overs and conceded just 36

  • India V Pakistan in 2011: This was another day/night Cricket World Cup semi-final match that will be remembered by all those who saw it. India batted first and scored 260 from their 50 overs, with the standout performer being Sachin Tendulkar (85). In reply, Pakistan could only manage 261 The five India bowlers all chipped in with 2 wickets each.
  • India V Sri Lanka in 2017: This was a day/night game that was played on the 13th December. India batted first and scored a whopping 392 runs from their allotted 50 Rohit Sharma was the standout batsman as he scored 208* from just 153 balls. Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer chipped in with 68 and 88 runs. In their innings, Sri Lanka were restricted to 251 runs, despite a fine 111 from Angelo Matthews. This means that India won the match by 141 runs.
  • India v Sri Lanka in 2009: This was a day/night match that was played on the 12th December. Sri Lanka batted first and scored an imposing 206 runs thanks to a rapid 59 from Kumar Sangakara.

    However, India were in no mood to be beaten that day and went on to reach their total with 5 balls to spare. Virender Sehwag scored 64 from 36 balls, Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 46 from 28 balls, and Yuvraj Singh scored 60 from just 25

Some Fun Statistics to Enjoy

  • Sachin Tendulkar is the highest test scorer at this ground. In the 11 matches (18 innings) that he played, he scored 767 runs (1 century and 5 half-centuries) at an average of 93.
  • Rohit Sharma holds the record for the most ODI runs scored at this stadium. In the 5 matches that he played, he scored 410 runs (1 hundred and 2 half-centuries) at an average of 50.
  • Shikhar Dhawan has the highest test score at this stadium. In a match against Australia on the 14th March, 2013, he scored 187 runs to help his side to a 6 wicket victory.
  • Anil Kumble has taken the most test wickets at this stadium. In the 7 matches that he played (13 innings), he picked up 36 wickets at an average of 00. This included 2 5-wicket hauls.
  • Harbhajan Singh has taken the most ODI wickets at this venue. In the 11 matches that he played there, he took 11 wickets at an average of 00. His best figures were 3/40.
  • Dion Nash has the best test match bowling figures here. In a match against India in 1999, he picked up 6 wickets for just 27 Despite this, New Zealand had to settle for a draw.
  • Nuwan Pradeep won’t have fond memories of this ground as he holds the record for the most runs conceded in an ODI innings. In a match against India in 2017, he conceded 106 runs from his 10 To make matters worse, he didn’t pick up a single wicket.
  • Anil Kumble, in a test match against New Zealand in 2003, conceded 181 runs from the 66 overs that he bowled. This makes him the bowler that has conceded the most runs in a single test innings. Thankfully for India, the match ended in a draw.

Would We Recommend That You Watch a Match Here?

If you love to watch cricket in a beautiful environment with an atmosphere that is nothing short of electric, then we highly recommend that you go and watch a cricket match here if there is one taking place while you are staying in Mohali. Some stadiums in India let the public visit the stadium when there are no matches scheduled, but Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, you will be sad to hear, is not one of them. So, if you are in Mohali when there is no cricket match scheduled to be played here, the only way you will be able to get a glimpse inside is if you manage to persuade a member of staff to let you in for a few minutes. You should give this a shot as the worst that can happen is they say no and send you on your way.

Is it Easy to Get to the Stadium?

There are a number of bus stops close to the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium which means that you won’t have to walk far once you have got off the bus. There are no train stations nearby, so unless you feel like a bit of a walk, we would recommend that you grab a bus. Of course, if you would prefer to travel to the stadium in more comfort, you can opt to take a taxi or hire a rental car.

In our humble opinion, a trip to Mohali is not complete until you have visited the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur War Memorial, the Fateh Burj, the Golden Temple, the Gurudwara Nada Sahib, the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, Sukhna Lake, and the Chandigarh Rose Garden. Of course, you will also need to find a hotel to stay in during your visit to this wonderful city. Thankfully, you won’t find this a tedious task as there are plenty of options for you to choose from. Whether you are after a place to just sleep after a long day, or a place that provides luxury, you will find what you are after in this city.