Home is still up for grabs in New Chandigarh

Punjab Kings have played only one game in New Chandigarh so far this season. Historically, their better results have often come away from home. New Chandigarh is a venue they are still getting accustomed to, having lost 15 of their 21 matches there. There has been some recent improvement, with four wins in seven matches since last year, but there is still a long way to go.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, have also struggled at home recently, winning only two of their last seven home matches across the last two seasons. They arrive in New Chandigarh looking to find some comfort on the road.

For SRH, a lot will depend on opener Abhishek Sharma, who is familiar with this part of the world, having been born in Amritsar and brought up in Punjab cricket. He has an excellent record against PBKS, with an average over 52 and a strike-rate just under 200. SRH will need him to fire, especially with Pat Cummins absent and the "Travishek" partnership not delivering with its previous freakish frequency.

When: Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 3:30 PM local
Where: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh

What to expect: The surface is usually well rolled and slightly dry. In the only game here this season, it was noted that hitting down the ground became harder as the ball aged. Dew will not be a factor in this day game, so the toss-winning captain may prefer to bat first.

Head to head: PBKS 7 – 17 SRH

Team News & Tactics:

Punjab Kings:

• Injury Update: Lockie Ferguson is yet to join the squad. Shreyas Iyer, who got hit on the hand in the opening match, seems to have recovered.
• Tactical Note: Arshdeep Singh's form is a concern. He has taken just five Powerplay wickets in 15 games in 2026 and is yet to take a wicket this IPL season. However, he has a good head-to-head record against Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen.
• Probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Cooper Connolly, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

• Injury Update: Pat Cummins has flown home for scans and is expected to be available only for the "back half" of the IPL. Brydon Carse missed the start with a hand injury but is improving.
• Tactical Note: Both Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat have a favourable match-up against PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, having dismissed him three times each.
• Probable XII: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga/David Payne/Brydon Carse.

Key Stats:

• SRH have chased 200-plus targets in each of their last two meetings against PBKS, with Abhishek Sharma as Player-of-the-Match in both games (66 off 28 in 2024; 141 off 55 in 2025).
• All six of Shreyas Iyer's dismissals in New Chandigarh have come against pace bowling.
• The PBKS opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh averages only 16.57 in New Chandigarh, compared to 40.33 in away matches.

Quotes:
"Because of Impact Player, opportunities have increased" – Prabhsimran Singh backs the Impact Player rule.
"We need to work on our batting. Giving so many wickets early on makes it easier for the opposition team" – Ishan Kishan after SRH's loss to LSG.