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NEW DELHI: Skipper Shreyas Iyer lit up the Narendra Modi Stadium with a scintillating unbeaten 87 off just 41 deliveries, powering Punjab Kings to a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 and securing their place in the IPL 2025 final. PBKS will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the summit clash on Tuesday, a rematch of their earlier encounter in Qualifier 1.With Mumbai Indians bowing out of the tournament, IPL is now guaranteed to crown a first-time champion this season.Following MI’s exit, veteran batter and ex-captain Rohit Sharma, who led the team to five IPL titles, was seen bidding farewell to his teammates. A video that has gone viral on social media shows Rohit playfully bowing down to Arjun Tendulkar in a light-hearted moment.
Reflecting on the loss, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya praised Shreyas Iyer’s match-winning knock and admitted that MI’s bowling execution fell short under pressure. Pandya also addressed some key strategic decisions, including the timing of Jasprit Bumrah’s overs.“Especially Shreyas, the way he batted, he took his chances and played really well. It was a par score, but it really needed great execution from the bowling unit. They were really calm and put us under pressure, and we were not able to execute the way we wanted. [Should Bumrah have bowled the 17th over?] In hindsight, it would have been different, but maybe a little too early,” Hardik Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
