Shreyas Iyer (87 n.o., 41b, 5×4, 8×6) showcased big-match temperament to power Punjab Kings (PBKS) past Mumbai Indians (MI) by five wickets in the IPL Qualifier 2 here on Sunday.

Shreyas’ sparkling essay knocked five-time champion MI out of the tournament, and gave PBKS a date with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.

The PBKS captain and Nehal Wadhera (48, 29b, 4×4, 2×6) put the side on the front foot with a 84-run fourth-wicket stand. The duo played out a few quiet overs, leading to required rate to rise to nearly 12 an over.

Shreyas then turned the tide in PBKS’ favour by hitting fast bowler Reece Topley for three consecutive sixes in the 13th over.

MI, not short on fight, forced its way back by dismissing Wadhera and Shashank Singh in quick succession.

| PBKS vs MI Highlights IPL 2025 Qualifier 2

The chase, with PBKS needing 41 from four overs, fell on Shreyas’ shoulders. The 30-year-old was up to the task, first smacking speedster Ashwani Kumar for a maximum, before guiding Trent Boult for two fours to the third-man fence.

A spot in the summit clash was guaranteed once Shreyas saw off Jasprit Bumrah, the lone remaining MI threat.

After being put in, MI overcame tricky conditions to post a challenging total. On a pitch left moist due to rain, Jonny Bairstow (38), Tilak Varma (44) and Suryakumar Yadav (44) did well to keep the score moving at a healthy pace. Naman Dhir (37, 18b) came alive in the death to push MI past the 200-run mark.

Bairstow carried the attack to the bowlers, until he was undone by a slower delivery from V. Vyshak.

Suryakumar and Tilak put on a 72-run stand filled with exciting strokes. Suryakumar raised the roof by sweeping legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal for a six over fine-leg. Tilak delighted with straight sixes when the ball was overpitched.

PBKS came back into the game with a double strike. Chahal, who returned from a wrist injury, prised out Suryakumar with a full delivery. Soon after, fast bowler Kyle Jamieson dismissed Tilak with a clever cutter.

MI captain Hardik Pandya walked in to big cheers, but failed to deliver. Pandya could not get it cleanly off the middle, and stuttered to a 13-ball 15.

Intermittent showers forced a delay in the start of the match. The high-scoring venue may have favoured teams batting first this IPL season, but given the unexpected showers, Shreyas made the right decision to field first.