IPL 2025: PBKS book top-two berth, MI left to fight in Eliminator

In a high stakes clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians faced off in the penultimate match of the IPL 2025 league stage. The winner of this game was guaranteed a top-two finish and a place in Qualifier 1. Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field first, banking on the advantage of chasing under lights.

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Mumbai Indians posted a competitive total of 184 for seven, thanks to crucial contributions from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Suryakumar was once again the standout performer, scoring 57 off 39 balls. In the process, he broke Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record to become Mumbai Indians’ highest run-scorer in a single IPL season.

Hardik Pandya chipped in with a quickfire 26 off just 15 balls, providing much-needed acceleration in the death overs. Opener Ryan Rickelton gave MI a positive start with 27 off 20 balls, helping his team reach 52 for one in the powerplay despite facing a probing spell from Arshdeep Singh. Kyle Jamieson, making his debut for Punjab Kings, was taken for a few early boundaries by Rickelton but settled down as the innings progressed.

Rohit Sharma played a steady hand with 24 off 21 balls, including a classy straight hit over mid-off against Marco Jansen. However, Jansen got the better of Rickelton in the sixth over, inducing a mistimed shot that was caught at mid-on. Harpreet Brar, filling in for the injured Yuzvendra Chahal, continued his impressive form by removing Rohit Sharma. Nehal Wadhera took a fine catch at long-on to complete the dismissal. Mumbai found themselves in a spot of bother at 106 for four in the 13th over. Vijaykumar Vyshak’s wide lines worked well in the middle overs, as he dismissed both Will Jacks and Tilak Varma in quick succession. But the tide turned in the 19th over when Mumbai hammered Vyshak for 23 runs. Suryakumar and Naman Dhir (20 off 12) played key roles in this late surge.Quiz: Who's that IPL player? Despite the momentum shift, Arshdeep Singh bowled a sensational final over, conceding only three runs and picking up two wickets to restrict Mumbai to 184. Punjab Kings’ chase started on a shaky note, losing Prabhsimran Singh early for 13 off 16 balls to Jasprit Bumrah. But a powerful 109-run partnership between Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis completely turned the tide. Arya struck a composed 62 before falling to Mitchell Santner, who also claimed the wicket of Inglis after a brilliant 73 off 42 balls. Captain Shreyas Iyer stayed calm and composed, finishing the chase with an unbeaten 26 off 15 balls alongside Nehal Wadhera, who made 2 off 2.

PBKS reached the target in 18.3 overs.

With this result, Punjab Kings have secured a top-two finish and a spot in Qualifier 1. They will face either Gujarat Titans or Royal Challengers Bengaluru, depending on the outcome of tomorrow’s match between LSG and RCB. If RCB win, they will finish in the top two and play PBKS. If not, GT will take that second spot and face Punjab. Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, will play in the Eliminator. Finishing in the top two offers a valuable cushion—if a team loses Qualifier 1, they get another chance in Qualifier 2 against the Eliminator winner, keeping their path to the final alive.