IPL 2025 will see a first-time champion. In a remarkable season, Shreyas Iyer spearheaded Punjab Kings’ five-wicket triumph over IPL giants Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier, setting up a rematch against RCB in the title showdown.
In a match delayed by rain in Ahmedabad, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir contributed significantly to help MI reach a total exceeding 200. However, PBKS made a crucial comeback from their poor batting display in Q1 to achieve the first-ever successful run chase of 200 runs or more against MI in IPL’s history. With an impressive 87* off 41, Shreyas also became the first captain to take three different franchises to the IPL final. This marks Punjab’s second final appearance, the first being 11 years ago in 2014.
Even the Jasprit Bumrah yorker can be overcome. Shreyas Iyer faced it with remarkable composure and an open bat face to strike a boundary. This brought him to 61 runs in a highly impressive innings, emphasizing the sense of despair for the Mumbai Indians (MI). They found themselves up against a player who was decisively outplaying them. The five-time champions fell short, unable to defend a total exceeding 200 for the first time. This indicates that IPL 2025 will signal the emergence of a new force. Either Punjab Kings (PBKS) or Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will claim victory.
Shreyas Iyer performance
Shreyas Iyer (87 not out off 41 balls; 5 fours, 8 sixes) led Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in 11 years. Punjab Kings triumphed over Mumbai Indians by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.