New Delhi: Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a spectacular knock of unbeaten 87 to help Punjab Kings (PBKS) storm into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final with a five-wicket win against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Punjab Kings rode on Iyer’s half-century to comfortably chase down the target of 204 runs to reach their first final in 11 years.
A new winner will be crowned on Tuesday, May 03, when Punjab Kings take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a blockbuster final at the same venue. Both Punjab Kings and RCB have been part of the IPL since the inception of the tournament in 2008, but are yet to win their maiden title. No matter who clinches the title, the tournament will witness its fifth champion on Tuesday.
After their dismal defeat against RCB in the Qualifier 1 at their home ground in Mullanpur on Thursday, Punjab Kings bounced back strongly to get the better of Mumbai Indians in the 2nd Qualifier and book their spot in the final for the first time since 2014. Punjab Kings restricted Mumbai Indians to 203 in a rain-delayed encounter, before Iyer produced a chase masterclass to take his team home.
Leading from the front, Iyer looked unfazed under pressure in the tricky chase of 204 runs and played a captain’s knock to help Punjab Kings make light work of the big target at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The PBKS skipper slammed an unbeaten 87 off 41 balls, laced with 8 sixes and 5 fours and looked in exceptional touch as he made a mockery of the quality MI bowling attack.
Iyer walked out to bat at no.4 for Punjab Kings after left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar dismissed opener Priyansh Arya on 20 to break the 32-run stand between him and Josh Inglis for the second wicket. Inglis too departed in quick succession after a fine innings of 21-ball 38. However, Iyer held one end strongly to keep PBKS in the hunt.
He took his time to settle down and get a hang of the conditions before going after the MI bowlers. Iyer raced to his fifty off 27 balls and added a brilliant partnership of 84 runs with middle-order batter Nehal Wadhera, who played a terrific knock of 48 runs off 29 balls and missed out on a well-deserved half-century by a whisker.
Wadhera took the pressure off Iyer for most of their partnership with his clean striking as the duo ensured Punjab Kings kept a check on the required run rate. After Wadhera’s departure, PBKS lost Shashank Singh in quick succession as he was run out by Hardik Pandya in the 17th over. However, Iyer stood tall and scored the winning runs for his team in style.
Iyer smashed four sixes off Ashwani in the 19th over to help Punjab Kings seal a commanding victory with an over to spare. The PBKS skipper looked calm and composed under pressure as he middled the ball to perfection and produced arguably one of the best knocks in the history of IPL knockouts to take his team into the final.
Mumbai Indians were once again hoping for some Jasprit Bumrah magic against Punjab Kings after the pacer’s exceptional spell against Gujarat Titans helped them win the Eliminator on Friday. But it was not meant to be, as Bumrah was taken to the cleaners by Inglis in his very first over. Inglis took on the Indian pacer in his first over, smashing 20 runs off him to ensure he never found momentum.
As it turned out, Bumrah couldn’t recover from the poor start and had a rare off day, conceding 40 runs off his 4 overs as PBKS batters dominated the proceedings in the run-chase. Earlier, the Mumbai Indians rode on crucial knocks of 44 apiece from Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, and a quickfire 18-ball 37 cameo from Naman Dhir to post a strong total of 203 runs on the board after being asked to bat first in the game.
MI would have backed themselves to defend the total with Bumrah and Trent Boult on their side. However, Iyer proved too good for the famed MI bowling attack as he single-handedly powered Punjab Kings into the final with his stupendous knock. Mumbai Indians, who last won the IPL in 2020, have noe failed to reach the final for five seasons in a row.
