- Thursday, June 05, 2025
This will be Punjab’s first title clash since 2014, and second successive for Iyer as captain after marshalling Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumph in 2024
By: India Weekly
PUNJAB KINGS skipper Shreyas Iyer hit a remarkable unbeaten 87 to carry his team to a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday (1), and to the IPL final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
This will be Punjab’s first title clash since 2014, and second successive for Iyer as captain after marshalling Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumph in 2024.
In an attritional chase of 204, Iyer stood tall with an imperious knock (87 not out, 41b, 5×4, 8×6) as PBKS moved past the target with an over to spare.
Once Mumbai posted a 200-plus total, Punjab required someone to play with composure and a sense of purpose, and they found the best man in their ranks putting his hand up.
Asked about his secret recipe, Iyer replied: “I don’t know to be honest, I love such big occasions. I always say to myself and to my colleagues in the team that the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, you get the big results,” Iyer said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Today was a right example where I was focusing more on my breathing rather than sweating out there,” he added.
However, Iyer and PBKS will also profusely thank the plucky Nehal Wadhera for exploiting his two reprieves to peel off an important 48 off 29 balls and adding 84 runs for the fourth wicket with his captain.
Naman Dhir misjudged a catch off Mitchell Santner at deep midwicket and allowed a four in the ninth over while Boult spilled a catch at fine-leg off Pandya in the 10th over when Wadhera was on 13.
But the star cast was Iyer as he nonchalantly guided the PBKS’ hunt.
Josh Inglis (38 off 21 balls, 5x4s, 2x6s) also played his part early after the early loss of Prahsimran Singh (6) to Boult (1/38) and Priyansh Arya (20).
Inglis went after Jasprit Bumrah in the sixth over to smack two sixes and as many fours and collect 20 runs.
Bumrah’s final figures 4-0-40-0 was also a just reflection of MI’s struggles with the ball on the night.
Pandya did admit that the execution on the part of the Mumbai bowlers was off the mark.
“I think it was par, but it needed some great execution as a bowling unit, which I think in these big games it really matters, and as I mentioned they were really calm, put us under pressure and I think we were not able to execute the way we wanted.
“I will not put it on the wicket, if we had to something better it was maybe someone bowling right lengths or maybe right bowler at the right point, the result could have been a bit different.”
However, the tables turned in the 13th over bowled by pacer Reece Topley, with the Englishman putting three deliveries in Iyer’s hitting arc and the batter dispatched each of them into the stands, signalling Punjab gaining steam.
Soon, Iyer finished off the chase with four sixes in the 19th over off left-arm pacer Ashwini Kumar.
Earlier, a collective batting performance led by Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma took Mumbai Indians to a par 203 for six in the rain-delayed contest.
While no overs were lost as the contest got underway nearly two hours and 15 minutes after the scheduled start time, it was Mumbai Indians who emerged their noses slightly ahead.
Jonny Bairstow (38), Tilak Varma (44) and Suryakumar Yadav (44) kept Mumbai on track for a big total, while Naman Dhir’s late exploits (18-ball 33) pushed them past the 200-run mark.
Unlike the last game, Rohit Sharma (4) failed to capitalise on an early reprieve when Azmatullah Omarzai (2/43) dropped a tough chance running behind from short third off Kyle Jamieson (1/30) in the third over.
Unfazed by the early blow, MI motored on to reach a scoring rate of 10 runs an over which they maintained through the course of the innings.
