Shreyas Iyer delivered a career-defining performance in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2, blasting an unbeaten 87 off just 41 balls to steer Punjab Kings to a thrilling five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians and into the final. With this, Iyer made history as the first captain to lead three different franchises to the IPL final.
Reacting to the defeat, Mumbai Indians’ head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted his side fell short and paid for it.
“We couldn’t take wickets when we should have and that was the only way we could have made a comeback,” said Jayawardene in the post match press conference.
“In the end, I think we didn’t play the perfect game today and we paid for it”, he added.
Chasing a daunting target of 204, Punjab started strong with Josh Inglis hammering 38 off 21 balls, including a brutal 20-run over against Jasprit Bumrah. Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29) then joined forces with Iyer for a match-defining 84-run stand in just 7.5 overs.
Iyer, with eight towering sixes, sealed the chase with six balls to spare in a composed yet explosive captain’s knock that dismantled Mumbai’s bowling plans.
Having previously led Delhi Capitals to its first final in 2020 and guided Kolkata Knight Riders to its third title in 2024, Iyer now has Punjab poised for its maiden championship.
It will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday, June 3 — guaranteeing IPL 2025 will crown a brand-new champion.