Shreyas Iyer was the epitome of composure as he guided Punjab Kings to a historic IPL final berth—ending an 11-year drought with a knock that combined class, power, and calm under pressure. Chasing a stiff target of 204 against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2, Iyer rose to the occasion with an unbeaten 87, sealing the five-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium with a six off left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar on the last ball of the 19th over.
There were no wild celebrations. Instead, Iyer calmly embraced his partner Marcus Stoinis before heading over to shake hands with the MI players—an image that perfectly captured his quiet leadership. In stark contrast, the PBKS dugout erupted in joy.
Nehal Wadhera and Shashank Singh were among the first to charge onto the field, celebrating a moment Punjab fans had waited over a decade to witness. The last time PBKS reached an IPL final was in 2014, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to KKR.
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Since then, the team had struggled for consistency, failing to qualify for the playoffs in multiple seasons. But under Iyer’s captaincy in 2025, the side topped the league stage, showing new-found grit and balance.
What it means to reach the 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟! ❤️
𝙍𝘼𝙒 𝙀𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 from the #PBKS camp after a magnificent win in Ahmedabad 🤩#TATAIPL | #PBKSvMI | #Qualifier2 | #TheLastMile | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/p0gXuPZLQL
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 1, 2025
After a crushing collapse against RCB in the first qualifier, many doubted their ability to bounce back. However, PBKS delivered a clinical performance against MI, with Iyer anchoring the chase and the team showing resilience that had been missing for years.
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There’s little time to bask in the glory, though. The final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru is set for Tuesday, their fourth meeting this season. RCB currently leads the head-to-head 2-1, but with Iyer in form and PBKS peaking at the right time, the grand finale promises a fierce contest.
