Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2 on Sunday, June 1, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In the elimination match, Shreyas Iyer and company put up a spectacular display to secure a final spot.
In first innings after being put to bat first, MI made 203/6 in 20 overs. Teenager Tilak Verma (44 off 29), Jonny Bairstow (38 off 24) and Naman Dhir (37 off 18) also played impactful knocks for the Mumbai based team.
Run chase was dominated by PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer’s batting. A right handed battists remainedunbeaten on 87 off 41 balls, whilst his side successfully chased the target in 19 overs.
Punjab became the first team in league history to successfully chase down a 200-plus target against Mumbai. For the first time since 2014, PBKS will now participate in an IPL final following the thrilling victory.
Several fans expressed their delight on social media when PBKS advanced to the IPL 2025 final. Here are a few of the most popular responses:
Punjabi finals mein aagye Oye! pic.twitter.com/3MdtNARZKh
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) June 1, 2025A photo can't make a Man Cry . Well this one made me 🥺 #PBKS #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/YtjFJl4rZt
— Aaryan (@SquadSadda32936) June 1, 2025We may have lost the battle, but not the war 👑
– Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer took punjab to the final, and now he's coming back to meet RCB 💥💥💥💥
— 𒆜Harry Billa𒆜 (@Billa2Harry) June 1, 2025Here are the other reactions:
“I’m so grateful to sarpanch Iyer for making my favorite team reach the final after so many years,” wrote a fan.
“Congratulations team PBKS. They deserve it,” posted a fan.
“Congratulations my PBKS fam, we believed, and we’re in the finals after 11 years Chardi Kala and lots of support to our shers for Sunday now,” remarked a fan.
“Congratulations to Punjab Kings XI for making it to the IPL 2025 finals! What a journey! More power to @realpreityzinta for her passion And hats off to captain @ShreyasIyer15 for leading from the front,” commented another.
“Huge congratulations to Punjab Kings @PunjabKingsIPL @ShreyasIyer15 and Sarpanch Shreyas Iyer for making it to the finals! A thrilling journey so far — best of luck for the big game ahead,” chimed in yet another.
A new IPL champion is about to be declared as Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) compete for the precious trophy. On Tuesday, June 3, the big clash will be held at the same location.
PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer talks about his match-winning knock in Qualifier 2
Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer stressed during the post-match presentation that he likes playing in high-pressure situations. He highlighted how, during the run chase, he concentrated on maintaining composure under pressure.
According to Cricbuzz, Iyer stated:
“I don’t know to be honest, I love such big occasions. I always say to myself and also to my colleagues in the team that the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, you get the big results. Today was a right example where I was focusing more on my breathing rather than sweating out loud over there.”
Notably, Iyer has a chance to become the first captain to win two IPL titles with separate teams. He earlier guided the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL championship the previous season.
