Mullanpur Turns Fortress: 2,500 Troops, 65 Officers, and Mock Drills Ahead of High-Stakes Punjab vs RCB Clash!

Mohali (The Uttam Hindu) : The exciting journey of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has now reached Mullanpur in New Chandigarh. On Thursday (May 29), the Qualifier-1 match will be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium here, in which Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face each other. This is the first time that this stadium is hosting such a big event. In view of the huge crowd of fans and VIP movement, the administration has become fully alert regarding the security arrangements.

Security on high alert, more than 2500 personnel deployed

Due to this high-voltage match, Punjab Police has made tight security arrangements. The stadium and its surrounding area have been put on high alert. Every visitor is being closely monitored, and the deployment of security personnel has been increased inside and outside the stadium. Punjab Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said that two important matches—qualifier and eliminator—are to be held in the stadium, for which about 65 gazetted officers and more than 2500 personnel have been deployed. He said, "We have made extensive security arrangements so that the spectators do not face any kind of inconvenience. Mock drills have also been conducted for security."

Schedule changed due to India-Pakistan tension

It is worth noting that due to tension between India and Pakistan, IPL was postponed for a week. Now under the revised schedule, Qualifier-1 will be held on Thursday in Mullanpur and Eliminator will be held on Friday between Gujarat and Mumbai. Qualifier-2 and the final will be played in Ahmedabad on 1 and 3 June respectively.

PBKS vs RCB: Competition so far

35 matches have been played between Punjab and RCB in IPL history. Punjab has won 18 of these matches while RCB has won 17 matches. Statistics show that there has always been a tough competition between the two teams.

Total matches: 35

Punjab Kings wins: 18

RCB wins: 17

Punjab Kings (PBKS) Probable Playing XI

Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer(c), Josh Inglis(wk), Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Umarzai, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Impact Sub: Nehal Wadhera, Kuldeep Sen

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Probable Playing XI

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wicketkeeper), Rajat Patidar (captain), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma

Impact sub: Manoj Bhandage, Nuwan Thushara