MI vs PBKS: Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in Ahmedabad was delayed by rain and started two hours late. Under marginally sticky pitch conditions, MI scored a dominating 203/6, due to explosive innings by Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir.
Still, PBKS managed to chase the mammoth total with the help of Nehal Wadhera and Shreyas Iyer’s anchor innings led the team to a victory by 5 wickets. Shreyas also won the man of the match award for his 87* knock off 41 balls.
MI vs PBKS Early Blow: Stoinis Dismisses Rohit Sharma
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PBKS opened their account early when Marcus Stoinis, not a frequent powerplay bowler this season, had Rohit Sharma out. This early shock handed PBKS an initial advantage, quieting the Mumbai dugout for a brief while.
Bairstow’s Aggression Bails Out the Powerplay
Although they lost Rohit, MI countered through Jonny Bairstow, who fought back aggressively. His attack saw MI post 43 runs in overs 3, 5, and 6, getting the side back on the front foot coming into the middle overs.
Suryakumar Yadav Illuminates Ahmedabad Once More
Having started with a mere 3 off 6 balls, Suryakumar Yadav picked up pace with a breathtaking swept six off Yuzvendra Chahal. From then on, he went on a rampage to score 44 off 26 balls.
Shatters Global T20 Record
With this knock, Suryakumar’s season tally reached 717 runs, a new world record for most runs by a non-opener in a T20 league season, superseding AB de Villiers’ 687 in IPL 2016.
Tilak Varma Offers Stability with Calm 44
Tilak Varma anchored MI’s middle order with a steady 44 off 29 deliveries. His partnership with Suryakumar was pivotal in pushing the scoring rate despite PBKS’s spinners gaining some control on the slow surface.
PBKS Fight Back: Double Strike in Middle Overs
Just as MI seemed to take flight, PBKS fought back with two crucial wickets in three balls, Suryakumar for Chahal, and Tilak soon thereafter. The blows halted the momentum of MI for a while.
Naman Dhir’s Death Over Fireworks
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37 Quickfire Off 18 Balls
Naman Dhir contributed a match-winning cameo at the end, hammering 37 off only 18 deliveries, including timely boundaries off Arshdeep Singh, taking MI past the 200-barrier.
Punting on the Death Overs
Dhir’s orthodox batting allowed MI to make the most of the last overs, vital on a pitch where the slower balls were taking grip. PBKS had delivered 27 slower balls, taking two wickets in the bargain.
PBKS Bowling Analysis: Clever Utilization of Variations
Jamieson’s Strategic Spell
Kyle Jamieson stood out with canny variations, altering pace every 2.67 balls. He ended with a neat 4-0-30-1, adapting well to pitch conditions.
Chahal Gets Suryakumar at Last
Having been taken on early, Yuzvendra Chahal had the last laugh with the removal of the perilous Suryakumar Yadav. His grit was rewarded with a vital middle-over breakthrough.
PBKS striking and calm chase
PBKS started great with early fireworks of Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis. Priyansh managed to make 20 off 10 deliveries, whereas Josh Inglis, who looked dangerous, contributed 38 off 21 balls but got out by a caught behind in the over of Hardik Pandya.
Shreyas Iyer played a scintillating innings of 87* runs of 41 balls, where, according to the need of the situation, he rotated the runs on the board.
In the time of acceleration, he started with a brutal attack on Reece Topley with hitting 3 sixes and gaining the momentum for Punjab from a situation where the required run rate shot up to around 12. This was Shreya’s 50th win in IPL as a captain.
Missed chances by Mumbai Indians in PBKS vs MI, Qualifier 2 IPL 2025
- Mithell left with 2 overs with a better economy among other bowlers.
- Nehal Wadhera’s dropped catch by Trent Boult.
- No use of short-pitched deliveries in the middle over phase.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya Watch Collection, List Of 5 Watches
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