Ahmedabad: In the Qualifier 1 on Sunday, Shreyas Iyer (87* - 41 balls, 5x4, 8x6) made an innings to remember as he helped Punjab Kings chase down Mumbai Indians' 203/6 in 19 overs and advance to their second IPL final. As a result, IPL 2025 will have a new champion, and PBKS will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the championship match here on Tuesday.

After 19 overs, PBKS defeated five-time winners MI, scoring 207/5.

The scoring rate for Punjab's answer would increase in bursts if MI hitters frequently targeted the boundaries. Each time MI put the pressure on, PBKS hitters would release a significant over. Jasprit Bumrah's opening over, bowled in the Powerplay, cost 20 runs, just like a once-in-a-lifetime asteroid occurrence. The ace paceman's intentions were foiled by Josh Inglis.

Inglis' assault on 38 (21b) was halted by Hardik Pandya's bouncer, and in the 10th over, the MI captain nearly dealt a knockout blow for his team, but Trent Boult dropped Nehal Wadhera's catch in the deep. At the midway point, PBKS was on 98/3 instead of 94/4. They were made to pay for the oversight by Wadhera (48–29b).

However, it was Shreyas Iyer's three straight sixes in the 13th over, bowled by Reece Topley, that really had MI concerned. Using an angled blade, Iyer produced boundaries out of thin air, dug out yorkers, and aimed them towards the third man boundary. The PBKS captain was so dominant in his batting that MI's chances of reaching its seventh final were dashed when he stayed at the crease until the very end.

Despite being more than half full, the Narendra Modi stadium remained the most crowded stadium in the nation by a wide margin. Even though it rained occasionally, stopped, and then started again on Sunday night, the audience in Ahmedabad were content to amuse themselves by dancing to the stadium's Hindi music.

Despite the late start, their patience paid off as the rain ceased just in time for the game to begin.

Although there were no fewer overs to the game, the pitch remained wet despite being covered for two hours. By recognizing that and being cautious for the first eight deliveries, Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow demonstrated wisdom. Not until Bairstow hit his first six over the square leg boundary against Kyle Jamieson did that happen.

On the other end, despite Rohit's weakness against left-arm pace, Shreyas brought Marcus Stoinis in early to take Arshdeep Singh's place. With Rohit's pull landing in the hands of deep backward square leg, the strategy worked right away. Despite the fact that it may have been simply categorized as a fortunate break, Rohit might not have been able to help himself but attempt to take on Stoinis' medium-pace bouncer. It may have been the kick that Rohit needed to go out early.

Vijaykumar Vyshak's knuckle ball ended Bairstow's (38- 24b) threatening appearance. The Englishman chose the incorrect ball to scoop.

To take advantage of the pitch's stickiness, the PBKS pacers were deliberately trying to bowl a shorter length with a fair sprinkling of slower balls. However, the MI hitters were still able to score at a rate of ten runs per over in the Powerplay and middle innings by hitting enough boundaries.

Even as Shreyas persisted in betting. Yuzvendra Chahal, who was facing Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, a tormentor of spin, was entrusted to him. Furthermore, Chahal, who had recovered from his injury, used every trick in his arsenal, changing angles, distances, and speeds to keep himself in the game. As he has done throughout the competition, Suryakumar adjusted his scoring strategy in an attempt to find straight boundaries against the leg-spinner. However, the India T20I captain was compelled to extend and ultimately hole out to deep midwicket on 44 (26b) when Chahal bowled a yard shorter, but he was unable to resist the sweep.

The number 4-0-39-1 wasn't impressive, but the top wicket-taker in the IPL once more demonstrated his value by bowling his spell in challenging circumstances. Take into account Varma's collapse in the following over on 44 (29b) to Jamieson, and the fact that MI went from 142/2 in the 13th over to 142/4 in the 14th over. Their march toward a possibly formidable total had been disrupted.

MI was able to reassess rapidly because of Hardik's good judgment. Due to his lack of batting experience, Hardik would only make well-considered risks. Naman Dhir would move his arms around more. Under Kieron Pollard's leadership, Dhir has shown to be a valuable late-order batter throughout the competition. His cameo (37–18b) again aided MI in establishing a target of 204.

The Punjab bowlers' pace-off short of length deliveries made hitting challenging throughout. However, MI hitters retained the talent and experience necessary to avoid being suffocated at any point.

Read Also: Marcus Stoinis Celebrates Rohit Sharma’s Wicket with Fiery Chest-Thump in IPL 2025 Qualifier 2

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