 "Shreyas Iyer has become the first captain to lead three different teams to IPL final. Image: AFP")
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer played one of the most memorable knocks in IPL history on Sunday night, helping his team reach the final of IPL 2025 . Iyer smashed an unbeaten 87 off just 41 balls to guide PBKS to a five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2.
Iyer creates history
With this victory, Punjab Kings made it to their first IPL final since 2014 and will now face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 3 June. Meanwhile, Iyer became the first captain to lead three different teams to the IPL final – Delhi Capitals (2020), Kolkata Knight Riders (2024), and now Punjab Kings.
“I love such big occasions and I always say to myself and my colleagues that the bigger the occasion, the calmer you are and you’ll get the best results. Today I was focusing a lot on my breathing rather than sweating out a lot out there,” Iyer said after the match.
Punjab Kings were chasing a big total of 204 set by Mumbai Indians. Josh Inglis gave them a quick start, scoring 38 off just 21 balls. He even hit 20 runs in one over off Jasprit Bumrah. Then, Iyer and Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29 balls) stitched a brilliant 84-run partnership that took the game away from Mumbai.
Mumbai had earlier posted 203/6, thanks Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav (both scoring 44) and a late flourish from Naman Dhir (37 off 18). But it wasn’t enough in the end as PBKS chased down the target with one over to spare.
Iyer lauds youngsters
Iyer also praised the young, uncapped players in the side for showing courage. “I just let them be. I don’t ask too much of them. I love the fearlessness they bring to the table and the ideas they share. Even if they haven’t got that much experience I feel they have that brave nature and in such big occasions, it’s important they need to gain more experience.”
Shreyas Iyer also became the fourth captain after MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya to lead his team to back-to-back IPL finals, and the first to do so with two different teams (KKR and PBKS). If he wins the final on Tuesday, he will have led two franchises to IPL titles in back-to-back seasons, something no one has done before.