Shreyas Iyer's blistering 87 off 41 balls powered Punjab Kings (PBKS) into the IPL 2025 final, as they knocked out Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Chasing 204, PBKS stumbled early, losing three wickets quickly. But skipper Iyer held firm with an unbeaten 87, guiding his team to a five-wicket win and their second-ever IPL final appearance.
A vital partnership between Iyer and Nehal Wadhera steadied the innings after the early collapse.
Josh Inglis had set the tone with a brisk 38 off 21 balls before MI captain Hardik Pandya removed him to derail the momentum. Trent Boult picked up one wicket, and impact player Ashwani Kumar took two, but star pacer Jasprit Bumrah remained wicketless.
PBKS will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final on June 3, with both teams chasing their maiden IPL title.
Earlier, MI put up a total of 203 against PBKS.
The innings began on shaky ground with Rohit Sharma falling early, but Tilak Varma and Jonny Bairstow anchored the innings before Bairstow was dismissed in the seventh over, caught by Josh Inglis.
Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav looked set for big scores but both were dismissed for 44, falling just short of their half-centuries. Varma was removed by Kyle Jamieson, while Suryakumar was trapped by Yuzvendra Chahal, providing a much needed break for PBKS and halting MI’s momentum midway.
Hardik Pandya failed to make a big impact, scoring only 15 off 13 deliveries. But it was Naman Dhir’s explosive knock - 37 off just 18 ball - that lifted MI beyond the 200 mark. His late knocks helped MI push past the 200 mark. Despite his efforts to stay on until the end, Dhir was caught out with just three balls of the innings remaining.
The match started over two hours late due to rain, but no overs were lost.
Earlier, PBKS won the toss and opted to bowl against MI.
“We’ve recovered pretty well. Everyone is in high spirits. Environment is top notch. Chahal back,” said PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer following the toss.
“We would have bowled as well. It [the pitch] has gotten flatter over the last couple of years. Playing a crucial game after a one day break is tough. Reece Topley replaces Richard Gleeson,” MI captain Hardik Pandya said.
However, just as the players and umpires walked out for an on-time start, the rain arrived yet again, forcing everyone back off the field. The covers came on for the second time, and the start has been delayed.
Earlier, a light drizzle in Ahmedabad had prompted the ground staff to cover the entire square. But with five minutes to go for the scheduled start, the covers began to come off, raising hopes of a timely start, until the weather intervened again.
PBKS bounced back after a crushing defeat to RCB in Qualifier 1, while MI's aim to continue the momentum was derailed.
The two teams have faced each other 32 times in IPL history. MI have won 17 of those encounters, while PBKS have claimed victory in 15. This season, the teams are evenly matched, with one win each in their head-to-head meetings.
Playing XI
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Raj Bawa, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Reece Topley
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis(wk), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact players:
MI: Ashwani Kumar, Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Robin Minz, Bevon Jacobs
PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlet, Harpreet Brar