Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 87 off 41 balls powered Punjab Kings to a five-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in IPL Qualifier 2 on Sunday at Ahmedabad, securing their spot in only their second IPL final. The rain-delayed match saw Punjab successfully chase down Mumbai’s 203-6, scoring 207-5 with an over remaining. In the process, the Shreyas-led outfit achieved multiple firsts in the history of the IPL and for the franchise itself.By chasing down the 204-run target, PBKS became only the first team to inflict such a defeat on the Hardik Pandya-led MI. Before this, Mumbai Indians had won all 18 of their matches when defending such lofty totals. It is also the biggest chase in IPL playoffs/knockouts history.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!No team has chased more 200+ totals successfully than PBKS who will be gunning for their maiden title when they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final on Tuesday. It is also the ninth 200+ run chase this IPL season – no edition had witnessed as many successful coups before.Mumbai Indians came into the game on the back of a five-match losing streak in Ahmedabad, winning just one encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium – back in 2014.Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer had multiple superlative captaincy achievements of his own, none bigger than the fact that he’s now the only captain to take three different franchises to IPL finals. He had steered Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020 and taken Kolkata Knight Riders to glory last year.
In the match, delayed by more than two hours due to rain, began at 9:40 p.m. without any reduction in overs. Mumbai Indians, batting first after losing the toss, got off to a quick start with Jonny Bairstow scoring 38 off 24 balls, including two sixes. Rohit Sharma departed early for eight runs.Tilak Varma contributed 44 runs and formed crucial partnerships – first with Bairstow for 51 runs, then with Suryakumar Yadav for 72 runs. Yadav’s explosive 44 off 26 balls featured three sixes.Mumbai’s momentum was halted by Yuzvendra Chahal’s breakthrough in the 14th over, followed by Azmatullah Omarzai’s double strike in the death overs. Naman Dhir’s quick 37 off 18 balls helped Mumbai post 203-6.Punjab’s chase began with early setbacks as Trent Boult dismissed Prabhsimran Singh for six, and Priyansh Arya fell for 20. Josh Inglis provided crucial momentum with 38 off 21 balls.Iyer dominated the chase, reaching his sixth half-century of the season in 27 balls. He accelerated further, scoring the next 37 runs in just 14 balls, including eight sixes and five fours overall. Nehal Wadhera supported with 48 off 29 balls.
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Mumbai’s premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah had an off day, conceding 40 runs without taking any wickets in his four overs.This victory takes Punjab to their first final since 2014, where they finished runners-up to Kolkata Knight Riders. Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have previously reached the finals in 2009, 2011, and 2016, finishing second on all occasions.The 204-run chase by Punjab Kings
- Highest ever in IPL Playoffs/Knockout
- First time ever 200+ successfully chased vs MI
- Eighth time PBKS have chased 200+, the most by a team in IPL
- Ninth successful 200+ chase in IPL 2025, the most in a single edition
* Shreyas Iyer has now captained three different franchises to IPL finals – Delhi Capitals in 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, and Punjab Kings in 2025. No other player has done it for more than one team.* Sixth consecutive defeat for Mumbai Indians in Ahmedabad. Their only win here came against RR in 2014.
