The IPL 2025 season is set to witness a first-time champion. In an already remarkable season, Shreyas Iyer spearheaded the Punjab Kings’ five-wicket triumph over the formidable Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier, paving the way for a rematch against RCB in the title showdown.
During a rain-affected match in Ahmedabad, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir excelled, helping MI achieve a total exceeding 200 runs. However, PBKS made a crucial recovery from their poor batting display in Q1, maintaining composure to accomplish the first successful run-chase of 200 or more runs against MI in IPL history. With an impressive score of 87* off 41 balls, Shreyas also became the first captain to guide a third franchise to the IPL final. This marks Punjab’s second appearance in the IPL final, the first occurring 11 years ago in 2014.
MI struggles yet gets over 200
Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow began the innings by playing singles for the initial eight balls to settle in, after which Bairstow struck Kyle Jamieson for a six over square leg. The pace of the game increased in the third over when Marcus Stoinis allowed 15 runs but also claimed the wicket of Rohit Sharma, marking his first wicket of the season. The PBKS team tried to limit Bairstow’s scoring by frequently bowling short and positioning two fielders at deep square leg. However, Bairstow managed to break free, hitting Azmatullah Omarzai for a four and a six in the sixth over, which helped MI gain momentum.
Vijaykumar Vyshak, who made a notable impression in his first appearance at this venue this season, bowled three knuckle balls into the pitch against Bairstow, ultimately dismissing him with the last delivery. The MI opener struggled with the change in pace and eventually attempted a ramp shot, which resulted in a catch to Josh Inglis behind the stumps. Yuzvendra Chahal, returning to the side, started off well but was soon outsmarted by the brilliance of Suryakumar Yadav. The MI batter first executed a slog sweep behind square for a six, despite three fielders on the leg side anticipating that shot. He compelled Chahal to adjust his line and subsequently struck a four through point. Tilak took on the pace from the other end while Suryakumar surpassed 700 runs for the season with a four off Jamieson in the 13th over. Suryakumar also recorded 25+ runs for the 16th time this season but was dismissed in the 14th over when a slog sweep off Chahal was caught by the deep square leg fielder. PBKS gained some breathing space as they approached the death overs, with Tilak also falling after miscuing a big hit down the ground off a slower delivery from Jamieson.
During the first five balls of this phase, PBKS appeared to be in solid control. Vyshak bowled what was shaping up to be a tight over against Hardik Pandya and Naman Dhir, until PBKS conceded four extra runs due to an overthrow. Arshdeep then committed to the strategy of bowling hard into the pitch while taking pace off, but Dhir managed to score a couple of fours over short fine and flicked a full delivery behind square. PBKS didn’t concede a six in the last five overs and dismissed Hardik for cheap, but Dhir’s cameo – 37 off 18, pushed MI past 200 – a total they’d never failed to defend in all the years in the IPL.
Shreyas Iyers leads PBKS from the front
Trent Boult’s alteration in pace proved to be too much for Prabhsimran Singh in the third over, yet Priyansh Arya once again found his rhythm against MI. Reece Topley, making his season debut, also attempted to bowl slower deliveries similar to PBKS’s strategy for most of the first innings, but he failed to achieve the correct lengths to create the intended effect. Josh Inglis entered the scene swinging aggressively and took on Jasprit Bumrah in a stunning 20-run over, which included two fours and two sixes. Ashwani Kumar made an impact by dismissing Arya with the first ball of the sixth over, but Inglis concluded the PowerPlay with another boundary.
Hardik Pandya eliminated the threat in his opening over. Inglis edged a short delivery from the MI captain behind and took a review with him. Hardik continued with short balls against the next two batsmen and nearly secured another wicket, only for Boult to drop a catch at fine leg, granting Nehal Wadhera a second chance. Just as Wadhera and Shreyas appeared to be advancing the chase, Hardik reintroduced Bumrah for a subdued seven-run over. However, Topley did not fare well upon his return, as Shreyas navigated the change-ups and hit three consecutive sixes. Boult returned next and started effectively, but Wadhera benefited from fortune as a top-edge sailed over short third for a four. He struck another boundary on the following ball, shifting the momentum in favor of PBKS. These two significant overs allowed PBKS to play cautiously during Bumrah’s subsequent third over, maintaining a manageable equation as they approached the death overs.
Wadhera commenced this phase with a six down the ground, applying pressure on Ashwani. The young pacer retaliated by bowling wide outside off-stump, prompting a false shot from the left-hander that was caught by Mitchell Santner at cover. Nevertheless, Shreyas maintained his aggressive approach, flicking a leg-side delivery for a six. He exhibited precision against Boult, finding the gap between short third and backward point for a four.
In a surprising turn of events, Shashank Singh was run out due to a direct hit from Hardik; however, Shreyas managed to secure another four through third man off Boult in the 16th over. The decisive moment likely occurred in the following over when Shreyas successfully guided a yorker from Bumrah, deep within the crease, for a four. This allowed him and Marcus Stoinis the opportunity to navigate the remainder of the over, conceding only eight runs. Shreyas then concluded the chase impressively, hitting four sixes against Ashwani in the 19th over.
SCORECARD: Mumbai Indians 203/6 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 44, Suryakumar Yadav 44, Naman Dhir 37; Azmatullah Omarzai 2-43) lost to Punjab Kings 207/5 in 19 overs (Shreyas Iyer 87*, Nehal Wadhera 48; Hardik Pandya 1-19) by 5 wickets
