Subhayan Chakraborty in Ahmedabad
The Indian Premier League will crown a new champion when Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Punjab Kings in the grand finale on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With Qualifier 2 between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians starting on Sunday and concluding on Monday due to rain interruptions, Punjab Kings will have no rest day before taking on RCB, who enjoyed a five-day break. Nevertheless, both teams share an equal hunger to lift the glittering IPL trophy.
Despite Mumbai Indians posting 203/6, Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 87 off 41 balls stood out against the five-time champions, supported by Josh Inglis (38) and Nehal Wadhera (48). Iyer became the first player to lead two different teams to consecutive IPL finals and the first to guide three franchises—Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings—to an IPL final. Although the match ended at 1:35 AM, the Ahmedabad crowd stayed for the thrilling finish, witnessing one of the finest knocks in a high-pressure game. Local authorities ensured metro services were extended for seamless travel for fans.
Iyer, a mentality monster, capitalised on every opportunity provided by Mumbai Indians’ bowlers, improvising to score cheeky boundaries. He led from the front, delivering a classy yet brisk half-century, ending Mumbai Indians’ hopes of another IPL final. Smashing eight sixes and five boundaries at a strike rate of 212.20, Iyer kept the Ahmedabad crowd on edge. During his innings, he forged four partnerships: 17 with Inglis, 84 off 47 balls with Wadhera, 13 off 6 with Shashank Singh, and 38 off 15 with Marcus Stoinis, guiding his team to victory. Iyer now has 603 runs in IPL 2025, averaging 54.82 with a strike rate of 175, making him Punjab Kings’ top run-scorer and sixth overall in the Orange Cap race.
After Punjab Kings’ defeat to RCB in Qualifier 1, Iyer declared, “We lost a battle, not the war.” The Punjab Kings captain lived up to his words in one of the season’s biggest battles. Now, he aims to win the war against RCB.
“Shreyas took his time. He knew we were under pressure, so he paced his innings,” Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference. “As long as we prevented a big partnership with Nehal, we could’ve squeezed through. But Shreyas let Nehal do the bulk of the work early on, showing his experience. He took the game deep, and our plans with the wickets didn’t work out.”
As the saying goes in cricket, “Catches win matches.” After Gujarat Titans dropped Rohit Sharma twice, allowing the Mumbai Indians opener to earn Player of the Match, Mumbai Indians suffered a similar fate with Nehal Wadhera. Dropped by Naman Dhir at 2, when Dhir should have been deeper on the boundary for a straightforward catch, Wadhera was also dropped by Trent Boult at fine leg on 13. He capitalised, scoring 48 off 29, shifting the momentum to Punjab Kings.
“Chasing 200 isn’t easy, but they executed well. We made blunders with those two catches,” Jayawardene said in the post-match presentation. “That’s how the game goes. We had luck in previous matches, but not today.”
Jasprit Bumrah’s off day was unexpected for Mumbai Indians. The ace pacer conceded 40 runs in four wicketless overs, proving to be a deciding factor. “Bumrah was trying to take wickets upfront, especially in the powerplay,” Jayawardene noted. “Josh batted and executed well. It was a battle, and they took the advantage.”
With an exciting RCB-PBKS final looming, the cricketing world awaits a new IPL champion. Who will end their title drought? Only time will tell.
