PUNJAB KINGS Vs MUMBAI INDIANS , 69th IPL MATCH , JAIPUR : Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya Shine Bright as PBKS Enters Qualifier 1 Of IPL 2025 .
Punjab Kings (PBKS) qualified for a top-two finish and in turn a spot in the Qualifier 1 as they chased down the set by Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2025. PBKS eased to a target of 185 with 1.3 overs to spare – Josh Inglis making 73 and Priyansh Arya blasting 62. Earlier, Surya Kumar Yadav top scored with 57 to guide MI to 184 for seven in 20 overs. With this victory, PBKS climbed to the top of the table and will now play the Qualifier 1 at their home at Mullanpur. Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya Shine Bright as PBKS Enters Qualifier 1 Of IPL 2025 .
TOSS-
Punjab Kings won the toss and elected to field
PLAYING XI-
Punjab Kings (Playing XI):
Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI):
Ryan Rickelton (w), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Punjab Kings Impact Subs:
Prabhsimran Singh, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlet, Musheer Khan
Mumbai Indians Impact Subs:
Karn Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju
MUMBAI INDIANS-
Ryan Rickelton got the innings off to a flyer with three boundaries in the first two overs, but a decent over from Marco Jansen meant MI did not run away. Rickelton so gave the run rate a mini shove with two more fours off Arshdeep Singh and Rohit then followed it up with a delightful six and a four off Harpreet Brar in the next over. But PBKS had a positive end to the phase as Jansen bowled his second tight over and snared the important wicket of Ryan Rickelton. With Surya Kumar Yadav in form and a perception that it was time to get a wriggle on, MI asked him to bat ahead of Will Jacks.
After a cautious start, Surya Kumar pounced on Kyle Jamieson by shuffling across and swatting him for six. He then hit two more boundaries as MI took 15 runs from the over. But Rohit at the other end miscued one to long on to fall four short of his half-century. Tilak Varma, looking for runs, too didn’t hold out for long even as PBKS seemed to have pegged things back with the batsman finding the fielder at third man. It was a positive start from Will Jacks who hit two boundaries in his first three balls and also smashed Vyshak over the fence to race to 17 off seven. The pacer got the last laugh, though, with a knuckle delivery that Jacks mistimed to be caught. Hardik Pandya made a decent start too with Surya Kumar looking to bat for long and he would be the key once again like on the last few occasions for MI when they bat in the death.
As expected, both Hardik and Suryakumar got off to a flying start in the last phase as the duo smashed a couple of maximums. But PBKS struck blow to MI with Jansen dismissing Hardik holing out to the keeper off an away-going delivery. Jamieson then bowled a brilliant over when he was consistently working on the ball which worked on this deck. He dropped just five runs in the 18th over and Arshdeep delivered a sensational last over bundling KRR out for a three run score; while claiming two wickets. There was a costly over from Vyshak sandwiched between those two. Naman Dhir hit two sixes and Suryakumar too found the ropes twice during his run-a-ball fighting half-century. If not for that over, MI wouldn’t have even reached close to 180.
PUNJAB KINGS-
The team batting second obviously have an advantage against a team on a pitch which does something because they know exactly what to bowl straight away. MI saw how well the slow balls were working on this surface, and they went to it from the outset. That meant Prabhsimran Singh got off to a rough early start, though Priyansh Arya was feeling a million dollars at the other end. All those dot balls to Prabhsimran up front from Deepak Chahar and you end up getting rid of him even later on, again with the off-cutter, courtesy Jasprit Bumrah. A boundary each of Arya and Josh Inglis in the last over of the powerplay ensured that the run rate in the powerplay period was further down at 8.
By the time this pivotal phase was settled, the game was essentially over. If runs were sparse up in the powerplay, they were certainly easy pickings in the middle overs. Inglis went airborne over the fence twice early in this phase, while Arya hit the fence twice. Inglis then tilted the game gradually in favor of PBKS when he unleashed his full range against Ashwani Kumar, who was smashed for a hat-trick of boundaries. Both Inglis and Arya raised their half-centuries in three balls, the latter hammering a six off Hardik to reach his milestone. Not even Bumrah was spared as Arya clobbered a short ball from MI’s talisman into the stands. The boundaries just kept coming and that is when the PBKS put themselves in the ideal situation to get over the line. MI seriously failed for the first time in this game , as Mitchell Santner brought his down with the last ball of this block, with the half-centurion mistiming one to find a fielder near the deep.
Bereft of ideas after 15 overs, MI required a miracle to pull the contest their way with 39 from last 5 overs. That miracle never came as Inglis and Shreyas Iyer cruised along. Certainly, while Inglis failed to finish the job and holed out for 73, Shreyas then launched the ball over the ropes not once, not twice but three times in the space of four balls to secure a comprehensive win, with nine balls remaining.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 184/7 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 57; Arshdeep Singh 2/28, Marco Jansen 2/34) lost to Punjab Kings 187/3 in 18.3 overs (Josh Inglis 73, Priyansh Arya 62; Mitchell Santner 2/21) by seven wickets.
Punjab Kings truly showcased their strength in this match, and it’s impressive how they chased down 185 with such ease. Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya were phenomenal with the bat, and their partnership was the highlight of the game. Suryakumar Yadav’s half-century for MI was commendable, but it wasn’t enough to stop PBKS’s momentum. Defeating Mumbai Indians in such a fashion must have boosted their confidence ahead of Qualifier 1. The decision to field first paid off, and PBKS’s bowling unit, especially Marco Jansen, played a crucial role in restricting MI. Mullanpur will surely be buzzing with excitement as PBKS hosts the next big game. Do you think PBKS can maintain this form and go all the way to lift the IPL trophy this season? Let’s hear your thoughts!