Shreyas Iyer‘s eyes told the story. Not when he was casually dispatching the best bowlers in the world during his blistering 41-ball 87 not out against the serial winners Mumbai Indians in the make-or-break IPL Qualifier 2, as Punjab Kings chased to become the first team to score 200-plus against a Jasprit Bumrah-led attack. No, the real story was in those now-iconic words Shreyas Iyer spoke after a crushing 8-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1.
“We may have lost the battle but not the war “ would now be the iconic statement as it was carved in the minds of millionss by one courageous leader Shreyas Iyer who single handedly guided his team to the IPL finals 2025. A general who just dont give up , A batter who love taking challenges on his heart and perform like a man possesed was the definition of Shreyas Iyer on Sunday evening with only one mission in head . first to make PBKS reach the IPL finals and then on 3rd put his hands on the ultimate glory.
Shreyas Iyer’s 87 runs powers PBKS to IPL 2025 Final
When Mumbai Indians then posted a daunting 203 on the board, another ‘so-near-yet-so-far’ heartbreak seemed inevitable for Punjab. But Shreyas Iyer, with ice in his veins and fire in his eyes, refused to let that narrative stand. Instead, he produced one of the most unforgettable knocks of the IPL season, proving the doubters spectacularly wrong.
Walking in at No. 4 after a solid powerplay, Shreyas Iyer initially played second fiddle to Josh Inglis, who was smashing everything in sight. Inglis even blasted a 20-run over off Jasprit Bumrah but fell at the worst possible moment, leaving Punjab wobbling at 72 for 3 in the eighth over.
At the same venue two years earlier, Shreyas Iyer had faltered when it mattered most – the World Cup final against Australia – after a stellar run in the tournament. But the last two years hardened him. He lost his BCCI central contract. He was dropped by Kolkata Knight Riders – the very team he’d led to a long-awaited title. And even as he worked on his game, he was relentlessly reminded of an old flaw – the short ball – a narrative that eventually cost him his Test spot. Each jab, each snub, only sharpened his edge.
The man who powered Punjab Kings past 72 for 3 in just 19 overs was a new beast. Not once did he crack under pressure. The big guns – Bumrah, Trent Boult – didn’t faze him. Instead, they lit a fire under him. It was as if Shreyas Iyer had been waiting for this exact moment, this exact stage, to unleash the best version of himself.
He hit eight towering sixes, each struck with the conviction of a man hungry for IPL glory and eager for another showdown with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Whenever Mumbai Indians tightened the screws with a tidy couple of overs, Shreyas Iyer smashed the pressure away with ruthless clean hitting.
Mumbai conceded just 11 runs across overs 11 and 12 – four off left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar and seven off Bumrah’s second over. Iyer responded by pulverising Reece Topley for three sixes in the 13th over. Each time a wicket fell, Iyer answered with a boundary, sending a clear message to Hardik Pandya and his men: he was a man on a mission, unwilling to budge when pushed.
Even cricket’s most fail-proof tactic couldn’t stop Shreyas Iyer on Sunday. With 31 needed off the last three overs, Hardik turned to his go-to man, Bumrah. But Punjab’s captain was unfazed, collecting eight runs off the over and denying Bumrah the breakthrough. It was in that over that he expertly guided a near-unplayable yorker past the keeper, telling Mumbai that nothing – not even the best in the business and his best weapon – could halt his charge to the final.
The 30-year-old right-handed batter from Mumbai, who was signed for Rs 26.75 crore by the Mohali-based franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction, came out to bat at No. 4 in the 204-run chase at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025 and slammed 87 runs from 41 balls. During his stay at the crease, he hammered five fours and eight sixes.
Shreyas Iyer’s super show with the bat helped PBKS qualify for the IPL 2025 final, and the right-handed batter also became the first captain in the world to lead three different teams to the IPL final. Under Iyer’s captaincy, Delhi Capitals featured in the final in 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and PBKS in 2025.
Shreyas Iyer’s celebrations after guiding Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in 11 years were remarkably muted. It was as if he had consciously denied his hypothalamus and posterior pituitary gland the chance to release oxytocin – that flood of joy and relief – until ‘Project Punjab’ reached its ultimate destination on 3 June.
His cold, emotionless body language after smashing the winning six in the 19th over only deepened the intrigue surrounding a man often seen as enigmatic and misunderstood.Ahead of the big final showdown Shreyas Iyer made some interesting and honest confessions about what he felt .
Shreyas Iyer made some candid revelation ahead of Big IPL 2025 finals vs RCB
Shreyas Iyer barely slept after his epic knock of 87 not out against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday in Ahmedabad, as he etched his name in record books after sending Punjab Kings to their first ever IPL final in 11 years. But the Punjab captain admitted he is still not at peace, with the most important game in the tournament up ahead, where they will face the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Amid able assistance from Josh Inglis, Priyansh Arya and Nehal Wadhera, Shreyas Iyer constructed a perfect knock to end Mumbai’s run in the second Qualifier of the IPL 2025, chasing down 204 with an over to spare. Speaking to the press ahead of the final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, Shreyas Iyer opened up on being in that destructive zone against Mumbai Indians, which he revealed started from the day before the match, until that final six. But with the job not yet done, he is still not content.
“When I say that I am in the zone, it starts from before the match, from the warm-up and how you plan yourself and approach the game. Once I was completely locked in, I knew how I was going to rally my players, and they did a phenomenal job in restricting them to 203. From there, I had a certain plan on how I was going to play on that red-soil surface.
We got a beautiful start from our openers, and then Josh came in at No. 3, so I thought I would get a little bit of time. Once my eyes were set, it was all about the flow and backing my instincts. Happy, but not content,” he said.
When asked about his sleep with the match ending at almost 1:40 AM in the night, Iyer said that he he could managed just four hours of sleep before getting into pre-final proceedings, which included the press conference.
“I could not sleep. I only got four hours of sleep last night, and here I am. I went to my room. And then next thing I know, I am here doing the PC,” he said.
PBKS, who finished top of the league table, were outplayed by the RCB in the first Qualifier last Thursday in Chandigarh, losing by eight wickets. It was their second consecutive loss against the Rajat Patidar-led side, both happening at the same venue. PBKS will, hence, look to level the score in the final on Tuesday, despite RCB having the advantage of a five-day rest period since their last outing.
Also Read: MI vs PBKS : Shikhar Dhawan Picks The Winner Between Upcoming MI & PBKS Encounter