Shreyas Outstanding, Punjab Through to Final: IPL to Crown a New Champion

Ahmedabad: A stunning and memorable captain’s innings by Shreyas Iyer (87* off 41 balls, 8 sixes, 5 fours) powered Punjab Kings (PBKS) into the IPL-2025 final in the early hours of Sunday night (past 1:30 am). The match, which began on June 1, concluded in the early hours of June 2. This marks Punjab’s second appearance in an IPL final.

Punjab advanced with pride after defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets and with six balls to spare in a thrilling Qualifier 2 match. After a 1.25-hour delay due to rain, Mumbai posted 203/6 in 20 overs. Punjab responded by chasing down the target with 207/5 in 19 overs.

Man of the Match Shreyas Iyer anchored the innings with an unbeaten 87, while Nehall Wadhera scored a fiery 48 and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis added a crucial 38 runs.

For Mumbai, Ashwani Kumar took two wickets but gave away 55 runs, while Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya claimed one wicket each.

Punjab or Bengaluru: One Will Win Their First IPL Trophy:

The IPL 2025 final will take place in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, 3rd June at 7:30 PM IST between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), guaranteeing a new champion.

Punjab reached the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and stormed into the final. Bengaluru, playing in their fourth final, arrived in Ahmedabad two days earlier and have already begun preparations. The stage is now set for a high-voltage face-off between captains Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli.

Mumbai Fail to Defend 200+ Total for the First Time in History:

For the first time in their IPL history, Mumbai Indians failed to defend a total of over 200 runs.

Shreyas Creates History Before the Final:

Shreyas Iyer has become the first-ever captain to lead three different teams into the IPL final: Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and now Punjab Kings. He even led KKR to the title in IPL 2024. Few hours between Sunday and Monday were nightmare for MI because of Shreyas’s ire.

Shreyas Said, “We Haven’t Lost the War Yet”:

After losing Qualifier 1 to Bengaluru, Shreyas had said, “We lost the battle, not the war.” Taking that message to heart, he bounced back by dismantling Mumbai and now gears up for another clash against Bengaluru.

His spirited win has forced RCB to rethink their strategy for the final.

A ₹26.75 Crore Investment That Paid Off:

Punjab’s franchise had acquired Shreyas Iyer for ₹26.75 crore, and his performance has fully justified the investment by guiding them to the final.

Dropped Catch, 3 sixes & Hardik’s blunder Cost Mumbai Dearly:

Mumbai’s Trent Boult dropped a crucial catch of Nehal Wadhera at a key moment. That was at Nehal’s innings beginning and then he reached upto 48 runs. Then, new bowler Reece Topley was hit for three sixes in a single over, swinging the momentum toward Punjab.

The biggest blunder came from Hardik Pandya, who handed the critical 19th over to inexperienced Ashwani Kumar instead of bowling himself. Shreyas smashed four sixes in that over, sealing the game. That over went for 26 runs.

Shreyas’s Sixth Half-Century – The Most Impactful One:

After leading KKR to the title in 2024, Shreyas scored his sixth half-century of the season – arguably the most explosive one. His first fifty this season also came at this very venue against Gujarat Titans. Against Mumbai, he brought up his half-century off just 28 balls, standing tall despite wickets falling at the other end.

Shreyas Takes Down Bumrah’s Yorkers:

In a show of class, Shreyas neutralized three deadly yorkers from Jasprit Bumrah by elegantly guiding them past the stumps for boundaries, showing supreme control and composure.

Tilak and Surya’s 44s Go in Vain:

Earlier, Mumbai’s innings ended at 203/6, setting a challenging target of 204 for Punjab. Tilak Varma (44 off 29, 2 sixes, 2 fours) and Suryakumar Yadav (44 off 26, 3 sixes, 4 fours) were the top scorers. Naman Dhir also contributed 37 off 18 balls with seven boundaries.

For Punjab, Omarzai took the most wickets (2), while Vaishak, Jamieson, Chahal, and Stoinis took one wicket each.