The stage was set at Ahmedabad’s stadium on June 1 for the second qualifier between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians. The match finally began after a 3-hour delay due to rain, with no overs reduced. Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Mumbai Indians took to batting, scoring 203 runs. Johnny Bairstow provided a quick start with 38 runs off 24 balls. Earlier, Rohit Sharma was out for 8 runs after getting a lifeline. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav also played crucial innings, scoring 44 runs each. However, captain Hardik Pandya fell for 15 off 13 balls when big hits were needed. Naman Dhir chipped in with 37 runs off 18 balls to help Mumbai reach 200.
Punjab Kings won by 5 wickets. Prabhsimran Singh fell cheaply for 6, followed by Priyansh Arya for 20. Josh Inglis played a vital 38-run knock off 21 balls, setting the stage for captain Shreyas Iyer’s explosive batting. Iyer remained not out on 87 off 41 balls, hitting 8 sixes and 5 fours, and was named Player of the Match. Nehal Wadhera contributed 48 runs off 29 balls to seal the win.
In the post-match scene, Iyer was seen expressing his frustration to Shashank, who got run out for 2 runs off 3 balls when the match was at a thrilling juncture. Although Punjab was on the cusp of victory, this wicket could have turned the tide.
One of Iyer’s shots is still being talked about – a perfect yorker that he simply guided to the boundary for four. Bumrah conceded 40 runs off 4 overs without taking a wicket, a key factor in Mumbai’s defeat. Trent Boult took 1 wicket for 38 runs off 4 overs, while Reece Topley gave away 40 runs off 3 overs. Ashwani Kumar was the most expensive, leaking 55 runs off 4 overs, but took 2 wickets. Captain Hardik Pandya took 1 wicket for 19 runs off 2 overs, and Mitchell Santner conceded just 15 runs off 2 overs without taking a wicket.
Iyer has become the first captain in IPL history to lead three different teams to the finals – previously with Delhi and last year with KKR, where he won the championship. Now, Punjab will face RCB in the final on June 3.