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Shreyas Iyer led from the front and steered Punjab Kings (PBKS) to a dashing five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in a thrilling IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 clash at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on June 2. With this PBKS have set up a final date with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the title clash is slated to be held on the same venue on June 3
Shreyas Iyer cracked a blistering yet unbeaten 87 to help PBKS chase down the big target of 204 runs with an over to spare. Notably PBKS made it to the IPL final after 10 long years.
It was sixth back-to-back defeat for Hardik Pandya's MI in Ahmedabad as their only win at the venue came against Rajasthan Royals in 2014.
What a captain Shreyas Iyer has been as he has now led three different teams to IPL finals. He led DC to IPL final in 2020, KKR in 2024, and PBKS in 2025 as no other player has done it for more than one team.
Chasing a target of 204 runs, Shreyas Iyer played a instrumental role in guiding PBKS to victory. He smashed an attacking 87 runs off 41 balls riding on 8 sixes and 5 fours ensuring his team reached the target with an over to spare. While MI believed they had a defendable score, Iyer's commanding knock made their total seem at least 20 runs short. Josh Inglis (38) and Nehal Wadhera (48) also made valuable contributions, but it was Iyer's almost single-handed effort that not only kept PBKS in the game but also sealed the win with a decisive six to end the match in style. Ultimately, MI were left to rue a missed opportunity to reach the final, but it was hard to argue against PBKS being the more deserving team on the night.
Prior to the match, the pitch was expected to be batter-friendly. Even with such conditions, a batter needs to step up and capitalise, which is precisely what Suryakumar Yadav (44 off 26 balls) and Tilak Varma (44 off 29 balls) did for MI. Both players maintained the scoring rate during the middle overs, building on Jonny Bairstow's quick start in the powerplay. Even after SKY and Tilak were dismissed, Naman Dhir provided a strong finish with 37 off 18 balls, ensuring MI posted a defendable total. On a pitch that offered very little to the bowlers, PBKS's bowlers struggled for significant periods but would have been content with their overall effort, even if it ultimately wasn't enough to secure the win.
The match's start was delayed by a rain shower that began just before the scheduled 7:30 PM IST start time. The intermittent nature of the showers impacted the game's commencement, with play finally getting underway at 9:45 PM IST without any loss of overs. Despite the delay, fans in Ahmedabad witnessed a thrilling encounter. The final will now feature two teams that have yet to win an IPL title, guaranteeing that one franchise will break its championship jinx on June 3.
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