Shreyas Iyer Guides Punjab Kings into IPL Final After 11 Years

The season of IPL 2025 has been a surprise one and now the winner will be a new one. Shreyas Iyer was seen with a great knock to take Punjab Kings to their second IPL final after 11 years. His unbeaten 87 off 41 balls was the showpiece of the match and made him the first captain in history to lead a third franchise to the IPL final. It was a nail-biting encounter against Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier and Punjab Kings successfully chased 200 runs for the first time in IPL history.

The match began with some rain interruptions in Ahmedabad but that did not bring down the morale of the players. Mumbai Indians played first and they also had a good beginning. Suryakumar Yadav Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir played good cricket to score over 200 runs for Mumbai. Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow opened the innings and scored singles for the first eight balls. Bairstow smashed a six in the third over and they began to score quicker. Marcus Stoinis got his first wicket of the year by sending Rohit back. PBKS bowlers attempted to stall Bairstow by being short but he hit a four and a six off Azmatullah Omarzai in the sixth over.

During the middle overs Suryakumar Yadav played some incredible shots. He got slog swept for six and then a four past point against Yuzvendra Chahal. Tilak Varma got runs in quick time from the opposite end too. Suryakumar hit 700 runs of the season with a four in the 13th over but was out bowled by Chahal in the 14th over. Tilak too got out soon after attempting to play a big shot off a slow ball from Kyle Jamieson. This brought some relief to PBKS prior to the death overs.

The death overs witnessed Mumbai Indians scoring more than 11 runs an over. Naman Dhir was key by scoring 37 from 18 balls. PBKS bowlers such as Arshdeep and Vyshak bowled tight to contain the damage. They did not give a single six in the last five overs and even sent Hardik Pandya back early. But Dhir's rapid runs brought Mumbai to 203 runs in 20 overs. It was a massive score and Mumbai had never lost a match after scoring 200+ runs in the IPL.

Punjab Kings began their chase with a bang. Although Prabhsimran Singh got out early to Trent Boult Josh Inglis walked in and hit 20 runs against Jasprit Bumrah in one over. Inglis made two fours and two sixes to provide Punjab with a flying start. Priyansh Arya also played some nice shots but got out at the hands of Ashwani Kumar in the sixth over. Inglis went on batting aggressively and assisted PBKS in reaching 64 runs in the PowerPlay even after losing two wickets.

Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera dominated the innings in the middle overs. Hardik Pandya bowled a tight over and got rid of Inglis who edged a short ball to the rear. Wadhera was fortunate to be left intact when Boult dropped a catch at fine leg. Shreyas Iyer utilized the moment and took on Reece Topley hitting three sixes in one over. Wadhera also scored some runs with top edges and fours that cleared the fielders. Bumrah was quiet in his third over but PBKS had already kept the chase going.

In the last overs Punjab Kings were required 60 runs off the last four overs. Wadhera began the final stretch with a six down the ground off Ashwani. But the bowler took his revenge as Wadhera was dismissed for a ball outside off stump. Shreyas Iyer didn't lose his cool and continued hitting boundaries. He hoicked a leg-side ball over six and punched the gap for a four against Boult. There was drama when Shashank Singh was run out by a direct throw by Hardik Pandya but Shreyas kept his cool.

Perhaps the most significant moment of the match was when Shreyas played Bumrah's yorker to the third man boundary. This eased the pressure and enabled Shreyas and Stoinis to score Bumrah's over safely. With 14 runs remaining Shreyas finished the chase in style by scoring four sixes off one over from Ashwani. Punjab Kings chased 204 runs in 19 overs and won by five wickets.

This win was all the more special for Punjab Kings as this was their first IPL final in 11 years. The last they played was in 2014, and now they have an opportunity to raise the trophy for the very first time. Shreyas Iyer was the star of the evening. His 87 not out was among the finest innings of this season of IPL. He played with courage and demonstrated why he is considered one of the best captains in the league.

Punjab Kings played intelligent cricket throughout the game. Punjab Kings exploited the big overs and benefited from errors by Mumbai Indians. Shreyas Iyer remained calm even as wickets were falling and his association with Wadhera was where it happened for PBKS. Josh Inglis's aggressive beginning also got PBKS off to a good start in the PowerPlay. Despite Mumbai posting a huge score PBKS never seemed to be in a panic.

Now Punjab Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final. Both teams are seeking their first IPL title and so it is going to be a thrilling contest. Fans are waiting to know whether Shreyas Iyer will lead Punjab Kings to victory and make history. IPL 2025 has been full of surprises and this final will be the season's showpiece match.

The Punjab Kings supporters are wishing for the best and they trust their captain. Shreyas Iyer has displayed wonderful leadership and has motivated his team to play aggressive cricket. The team has the momentum and confidence to win it all. All are eagerly awaiting Tuesday's final when two of the tournament's most thrilling teams will battle it out for the top prize.

Punjab Kings have shown everyone that no target is too large if you have faith and play with grit. Shreyas Iyer has taken the lead from the front and now the team is just one game away from their first-ever IPL trophy. Let's see whether Punjab Kings are able to fulfill their dream and win the IPL trophy for the very first time in their history.