TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad: Shashank Singh, in an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com, had given Shreyas Iyer a new moniker: Punjab Kings’ “captain fantastic.” “He has his own swag, he has his own aura, and he backs his own instinct,” Shashank, who had played with Iyer in age-group cricket in Mumbai, had to say about his IPL captain.On Sunday, in a rain-affected Qualifier 2, Shreyas Iyer displayed everything that Shashank was talking about. He didn’t celebrate his half-century; he batted with surety, and it looked like he was calculating the chase in his mind. Chasing 204, Iyer, who is called ‘sarpanch’ (head of the village) by Punjab Kings fans, took charge. In the 13th over bowled by Reece Topley, Shreyas hammered a hat-trick of sixes, each better than the last one.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Iyer (87 not out off 41 balls; 5x4s, 8x6s) guided Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in 11 years. Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.Who’s that IPL player?Punjab did get a flying start from Priyansh Arya (20 off 10 balls) and No. 3 Josh Inglis (38 off 21 balls). Inglis, especially, belted Bumrah for 20 runs in his first over. Not everyday does Bumrah get that kind of treatment.But Iyer found an able partner in Nehal Wadhera, who is called Ludhiana’s Yuvraj Singh. Wadhera scored a counter-attacking 29-ball 48 and forged an 84-run stand for the fourth wicket in just 47 balls.
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Shreyas Iyer etched his name in the history books. He became the first IPL captain to take three different teams to the IPL finals. Iyer had led Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020, guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the title in 2024, and now has steered Punjab Kings. He is also the first captain to lead two different teams in successive finals.Not to forget, Mumbai Indians had never lost defending 200-plus, and now they’ve been knocked out doing so with an over to spare.
Earlier, it looked like the Shreyas Iyer-led team had lost its steam after finishing top of the IPL points table. They were blown away by a red-hot Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur, and then they gave away too many freebies against Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2.On Tuesday, they will have a chance to take revenge for the humiliation they had to face in front of their home crowd.Shreyas Iyer won the flip of the coin and, because of the weather, opted to field. The match was delayed for a couple of hours because of the rain, but it finally started, and there was no reduction in overs.Mumbai Indians rode on a power-packed start from Jonny Bairstow and Tilak Varma, and a late flourish by Naman Dhir, to post an imposing 203/6.Barring the first over bowled by Arshdeep Singh, the Punjab outfit looked completely at sea. They were wayward with the ball and abysmal in the field. If this was not enough, PBKS were later penalised for a slow over rate, and an extra fielder was brought into the circle for the last two overs.Rohit Sharma got a reprieve in the second over after Azmatullah Omarzai dropped a tough chance. It was not an easy catch as he had to back-pedal a long way to reach it; he got both hands to it but couldn’t control it.The dropped catch didn’t cost PBKS much, as Marcus Stoinis got the prized wicket and celebrated it by thumping his chest, which probably was the only time Punjab players celebrated with jubilation.Bairstow wasted no time in unleashing his trademark aggression. He took the attack to the Punjab bowlers right from the outset, peppering the boundary ropes and racing to 38 off just 24 deliveries. However, as the pitch began to grip and slow down, PBKS managed to claw their way back. Vyshak Vijaykumar gave the breakthrough, removing Bairstow with a knuckle ball.The experienced duo of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav steadied the ship. Their 72-run partnership for the third wicket came at a rapid pace. Both batters looked in control, mixing caution with aggression, before Punjab struck at a vital moment — right before and after the second strategic timeout.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who was playing the match with an injection in his bowling hand, was sent on a leather hunt by Suryakumar Yadav, but the veteran spinner won the battle. Suryakumar kept playing the sweep shot against Chahal, but the leggie had the last laugh. It was pushed in the air a little; Suryakumar went down on his knee and slog-swept it, but didn’t get the elevation, and Nehal Wadhera caught it near deep mid-wicket.In a sudden twist, both Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma were dismissed for identical scores of 44, halting MI’s momentum just when it looked like they would surge past 220.Naman Dhir’s late blitz provided the final flourish. The swashbuckling batter smashed a quickfire 37 off just 18 balls, peppering the off-side and clearing the ropes to perfection. His knock ensured MI crossed the psychological 200-run mark.
