Mumbai Indians (MI) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025. The high-stakes match will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The team that wins this game will enter the final. They will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on June 3 at the same venue.
Mumbai Eyes Seventh Final
So far, Mumbai Indians have reached the IPL final six times — in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. They have also won the title five times in those years. Therefore, MI will aim to enter their seventh final and extend their legacy.
Punjab Looks for Breakthrough
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings are aiming for their second final. Their last appearance was in 2014. However, they have never lifted the IPL trophy. This time, they hope to change that.
How They Reached Here
In their last match, Punjab lost to RCB by six wickets. Marcus Stoinis scored 25 runs. On the other hand, Mumbai defeated Gujarat Titans by 20 runs. Rohit Sharma played a brilliant knock of 81 runs to take MI through.
Head-to-Head Stats
So far, MI and PBKS have faced each other 32 times. Mumbai have won 17 matches, while Punjab have won 15. Interestingly, both teams have beaten each other once in IPL 2025.
Punjab’s Batting is in Form
Under coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer, Punjab have developed a strong batting unit. Notably, they scored more than 200 runs in seven out of their 15 innings. Although their approach failed in Mullanpur, it might work better on Ahmedabad’s flat pitch.
Mumbai Has a Balanced Line-Up
Mumbai’s top seven batters include one overseas star and a mix of Indian talent. Suryakumar Yadav has been their key finisher. Additionally, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, and captain Hardik Pandya have stepped up when needed.
Hardik’s Explosive Batting
Hardik Pandya has been in top form. So far, he has scored 109 runs off just 53 balls. His strike rate stands at 205.66. In fact, he ranks second among 16 batters who have faced 50+ balls during the middle overs.
Shreyas Powers Punjab’s Attack
For Punjab, Shreyas Iyer has led the charge. He has smashed 31 sixes in 302 balls this season. Only three batters have hit more: Suryakumar Yadav (35), Mitchell Marsh (37), and Nicholas Pooran (40).
Injury Concerns on Both Sides
Punjab hopes spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returns after missing the last three games due to injury. His comeback could trouble Mumbai, especially since he has dismissed Jonny Bairstow four times in six IPL innings. He has also taken Suryakumar’s wicket three times.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s fast bowlers Deepak Chahar and Richard Gleeson are recovering from hamstring injuries. It remains to be seen if they regain full fitness before the big match.
Squads
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Karn Sharma, Reece Topley, Mitchell Santner, Ashwani Kumar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Arjun Tendulkar, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Bevon Jacobs, Satyanarayana Raju.
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Praveen Dubey, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Mitchell Owen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash.
