Three Teams, Three Finals: Shreyas Iyer Creates Unmatched IPL Record
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Qualifier-2 of IPL 2025 was played on Sunday, in which Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by five wickets. This marks Punjab's second appearance in the IPL final—the first being in 2014. The IPL 2025 Final will be held on June 3 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where Punjab Kings will face Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Punjab’s historic win was powered by a stellar knock from captain Shreyas Iyer, who remained unbeaten on 87 runs off 41 balls, smashing 8 sixes and 5 fours. He was named Player of the Match. So far in this season, Iyer has played 16 matches, scoring 603 runs at an average of 54.82, including six half-centuries.
With this, Iyer becomes the only captain in IPL history to have led three different teams to the final—Delhi Capitals in 2020, KKR in 2024, and now Punjab Kings in 2025. The match, held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, was delayed due to rain. Mumbai Indians batted first after winning the toss and posted 203/6 in 20 overs. For Mumbai, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav scored 44 runs each, while Jonny Bairstow contributed 38, and Naman Dhir added 37. From the opposition, Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets. In reply, Punjab Kings chased down the target in 19 overs, with Shreyas Iyer top-scoring. He built a crucial 84-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Nehal Wadhera. For Mumbai, Ashwini Kumar took two wickets.