ABP Live Sports
abplive|02-06-2025
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have stormed into the final of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where they will face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
In a thrilling Qualifier 2, Punjab defeated Mumbai Indians to reach the final for the first time in 11 years - and in the process, created IPL history.
Chasing a daunting target of 204 runs, Punjab Kings pulled off the highest successful run chase in IPL playoff history, finishing the job in just 19 overs. The previous record belonged to Kolkata Knight Riders, who chased 200+ against Punjab in the 2014 playoffs.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 87 off 41 balls, anchoring the chase with confidence and class. Punjab sealed the match by 5 wickets, delivering one of the most memorable performances in IPL knockout history.
Despite posting a strong 203/6 - with crucial knocks from Tilak Verma (44), Suryakumar Yadav (44), and Jonny Bairstow (38) - Mumbai Indians suffered a shocking defeat.
This match marked the first time in IPL history that Mumbai Indians lost after scoring over 200 runs.
In 18 seasons, no MI team had ever faced defeat after such a high total - until now."(On being calm while batting) I don't know, to be honest, I love such big occasions. I always say to myself and to my colleagues in the team that the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are, the better the results. Today was a right example where I was focusing more on my breathing rather than sweating out there. (On chasing a 200+ target) All players need to be assertive and show intent from ball one. The intent was stupendous, and even for me, I had to take some time," Shreyas Iyer said during the post-match presentation.