The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur was the site of a special honour for two of Punjab’s greatest cricketers, Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann officially launched stadium stands named after the legends during a small ceremony held just before the second T20I between India and South Africa. The event was attended by the players and their families.
Mullanpur Stadium honours Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet Kaur
Following the inauguration, Yuvraj Singh was seen interacting with the Indian team, offering a pep talk during the pre-match huddle. Yuvraj’s immense contribution to Indian cricket includes winning both the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup. His international career spans 40 Tests, 304 ODIs, and 58 T20Is, tallying 11,778 runs and securing 148 wickets. He was notably named the Player of the Tournament during the victorious 2011 ODI World Cup campaign.
Harmanpreet Kaur was similarly celebrated for her stellar career, having recently captained India to title triumph in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 final against South Africa. Since her international debut in 2009, the veteran batter has been a cornerstone of the women’s team, having played 6 Tests, 161 ODIs, and 182 T20Is. Her powerful influence has been crucial in driving the growth and success of women’s cricket in the country.
South Africa's strong reply in 2nd T20I
After suffering a heavy defeat in the series opener, the South African batting line-up mounted a spectacular comeback in the second T20I in New Chandigarh. Spearheaded by an incredible knock from Quinton de Kock, who hammered 90 runs off just 46 balls, the Aiden Markram-led side successfully posted a challenging total of 213 runs in their first innings. The Indian bowling attack struggled severely due to the presence of dew, preventing them from maintaining a consistent line and length, a factor the Proteas capitalized on fully. Only spinner Varun Chakravarthy was pick of the bowlers for India with 2/29.
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Chasing the mammoth target, the Indian batting unit was expected to thrive as the dew increased, but they failed to make proper use of the wet ball. The top order collapsed early, with the opening pair of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma failing for the second consecutive time, and captain Suryakumar Yadav also departing cheaply. As of 16.4 overs, India were placed at 140/5 With Tilak Verma and Jitesh Sharma intact on the crease.