India and South Africa clash in the 2nd T20I at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, with India leading 1-0 in 5-match series after a dominant 101-run win in Cuttack where they posted 175/6 and bowled out South Africa for 74. This marks the venue’s maiden men’s international match, following varied IPL results with high scores over 200 and low-scoring thrillers, averaging around 167-170 in the first innings.
One can expect a balanced pitch favouring pacers early with swing and seam, then batters once set, alongside dew aiding chases – four of six IPL games here were won batting first, but conditions tilt toward the team fielding second.
Mullanpur Weather Forecast
Temperatures drop from 15°C at 7 PM IST to around 9-10°C by 11 PM, with clear skies, no rain (0% chance), northwest winds at 7-10 km/h, and humidity climbing from 42% to 58%. Hazy fog and very unhealthy air quality from smog may hamper visibility for fielders, especially under moonlight, testing reactions in cold conditions akin to winter IPL night games here. These factors favour a full match but challenge bowlers’ grip late, pushing captains toward bowling first.
Dew Factor
Dew presence builds significantly after sunset amid cooling temperatures and rising humidity, making the ball skid on a quick outfield and harder to control for spinners and pacers in the second innings. This tilts advantage to chasing batters, as gripless bowlers concede easier boundaries—evident in Mullanpur’s IPL night matches where death overs leak runs. Fielders face slips in catching and stopping, amplifying pressure on the team bowling second, much like dew-disrupted chases at similar Punjab venues.
Toss Prediction
Teams winning the toss will prefer to bowl first for these reasons:
- Dew settles heavily post-sunset, slippery ball disrupts second-innings bowling rhythm and accuracy.
- Rising humidity (42-58%) aids skid on pitch, favoring fluent chasing over setting a target.
- Historical IPL trends at Mullanpur show chases succeeding despite 4/6 first-innings wins, amplified by dew.
- Cold drop to 9-10°C reduces grip further, testing spinners who dominate early but struggle later.
- Quick outfield and medium boundaries reward aggressive batting under lights, post-dew adjustment.
