Punjab Kings Defeat Mumbai Indians by 7 Wickets to Seal Qualifier 1 Berth
Punjab Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in the 69th IPL 2025 match on May 26 in Jaipur. MI scored 184/7, led by Suryakumar Yadav’s 57. PBKS chased 185 in 18.3 overs, with Josh Inglis’ 73 off 42 earning him Player of the Match. Priyansh Arya’s 62 and Arshdeep Singh’s 2/28 sealed PBKS’s Qualifier 1 spot.
Mumbai Indians (MI) faced Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 69th match of IPL 2025 at Jaipur, aiming to secure a top-two spot. After losing the toss and batting first, MI managed 184/7 in 20 overs, driven by Suryakumar Yadav’s resilient fifty and late cameos. Still, a sticky pitch favouring slower deliveries meant they fell short of a par score.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Carry Job
The innings started with Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma facing a disciplined PBKS attack. Rickelton looked assured, scoring 27 off 20 balls with five fours, including a pulled boundary off Arshdeep Singh and a lofted drive over mid-on against Kyle Jamieson. Rohit, more measured, struck a six off Harpreet Brar’s spin, lofting it over midwicket. They added 45 runs in 5.1 overs before Rickelton fell to Marco Jansen, spooning a pull to mid-on. The powerplay ended at 52/1, with MI maintaining a run-rate of 8.66.
🎥 ICYMI: How Surya Dada made T20 history 😍✨#MumbaiIndians #PlayLikeMumbai #TATAIPL #PBKSvMIpic.twitter.com/2Qfrcs5Jna
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 26, 2025
Suryakumar Yadav, at No. 3, anchored the innings with 57 off 39 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes. His knock included a scooped six off Jamieson and a swept four against Brar, showcasing his adaptability on a tricky surface. Rohit’s 24 off 21 ended when he mis-hit Brar to long-on, where Nehal Wadhera took a diving catch. Tilak Varma struggled, scoring 1 off 4 before edging Vijaykumar Vyshak to short third, leaving MI at 88/3 after 11 overs.
Will Jacks provided a brief spark, scoring 17 off 8 with two fours and a six off Vyshak, but he skied a knuckleball to long-on. Hardik Pandya, at No. 6, played an aggressive 26 off 15, hitting a six over square leg off Jansen and a ramped four off Arshdeep. His dismissal, caught behind off a Jansen cutter, halted MI’s momentum at 150/5 in 16.2 overs.
Naman Dhir’s 20 off 12, with two sixes in Vyshak’s 18th over, pushed MI toward 180. Suryakumar’s fifty, completed with a lofted cover drive, was vital, but he fell lbw to Arshdeep’s yorker in the final over. Arshdeep’s tight last over, conceding just three runs, ensured MI finished below 200, which Suryakumar later said was 10-15 runs short.
Ar𝐬𝐡𝐡𝐡𝐡! 🤫
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 26, 2025
What a final over from Arsh Paaji! pic.twitter.com/vvpg86tlXR
PBKS’s bowling was spearheaded by Arshdeep’s 2/28, with his final over proving crucial. Vyshak took 2/44 but leaked runs late, while Jansen’s 2/34 featured clever pace-off deliveries. Brar’s 1/36 and Jamieson’s 0/42 struggled to contain MI’s middle order, but the pitch’s grip aided slower balls, keeping MI’s scoring in check. Despite a late surge, MI’s total was defendable but not daunting, setting the stage for PBKS’s chase.
Priyansh and Josh’s Match-Winning Partnership
Chasing 185, Punjab Kings produced a clinical performance, reaching 187/3 in 18.3 overs to win by seven wickets and clinch a top-two finish. Priyansh Arya’s explosive 62 off 35 and Josh Inglis’s match-defining 73 off 42, backed by Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 26, overwhelmed MI’s bowling on a pitch eased by dew.
⭐️BOYpic.twitter.com/LEN5tTXiFk
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 26, 2025
PBKS’s chase began with flair, as Priyansh Arya smashed two fours off Trent Boult’s opening over, lofting one over cover and edging another past short third. Prabhsimran Singh, the Impact Player replacing Vijaykumar Vyshak, struggled, scoring 13 off 16, but Deepak Chahar’s maiden in the second over kept PBKS at 10/0. Arya’s timing was brilliant, with a punched four off Chahar, while Prabhsimran’s scooped six off Chahar broke the pressure. Jasprit Bumrah struck in the fifth over, removing Prabhsimran with a slower ball edged to Ashwani Kumar at deep third, leaving PBKS at 35/1.
Josh Inglis, promoted to No. 3, shifted the momentum with an aggressive 73, including nine fours and three sixes. He smashed a 76m six off Chahar and, alongside Arya, forged a 109-run second-wicket partnership. Arya’s nine fours and two sixes, including a top-edged six off Bumrah, highlighted his class. Inglis’s reverse sweeps against Ashwani Kumar yielded two fours in a 16-run 11th over. Both reached fifties, Arya off 27 balls, and Inglis off 29 as PBKS raced to 120/1 after 12 overs, dropping the required rate to 8.1.
Bumrah’s 1/23, with three yorkers in the 17th over, kept MI’s hopes alive, but other bowlers faltered. Hardik Pandya’s 0/29 was costly, conceding a ramped six to Inglis, while Mitchell Santner’s 2/41 included Arya’s wicket, caught at long-off in the 14th over. Shreyas Iyer, entering at 146/2, played a composed knock, hitting a slog-swept four off Will Jacks and a lofted six off Santner. Inglis’s innings ended lbw to Santner in the 17th over, but his 73 earned him Player of the Match.
We are just so so soooo happy! 🥹❤️pic.twitter.com/X0UsQUX9g7
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 26, 2025
Nehal Wadhera’s 2 not out and Iyer’s match-sealing six off Boult wrapped up the chase with nine balls to spare. MI’s bowling lacked bite, with Boult’s 0/36 and Chahar’s 0/28 unable to capitalize on the pitch’s slowness. Ashwani’s 0/16 and Jack’s 0/11 were ineffective, and dew reduced the impact of slower balls. PBKS’s fearless batting, led by Arya’s maturity and Inglis’s aggression, exposed MI’s bowling frailties.
What’s Happening in the Points Table?
After the game, Punjab Kings (PBKS) solidified their dominance, finishing the IPL 2025 league stage at the top with 19 points from 14 matches, boasting a net run rate of 0.372. Their commanding seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians secured their spot in Qualifier 1, giving them two chances to reach the finals.
🚨 PUNJAB KINGS DEFEATED MUMBAI INDIANS 🚨
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 26, 2025
– Shreyas Iyer Army will play in Qualifier 1. pic.twitter.com/JSazfNuWtH
PBKS’s consistent run, with nine wins, showcases their fearless batting and sharp bowling. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians (MI) ended fourth with 16 points and a strong net run rate of 1.142, despite eight wins. Their loss to PBKS pushed them to the Eliminator, a do-or-die clash.
TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game
In the game between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, the wicket that changed the match completely was that of Hardik Pandya, and hence this moment is now TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game. In the 16th over, with MI at 144/4 and eyeing a big finish, Pandya was in scintillating form, scoring 26 off 15 balls, including two fours and two sixes. His aggressive intent was clear, smashing a six over square leg earlier in the over off Marco Jansen. However, PBKS devised a clever plan.
Jansen bowled a cutter on a length, landing around the fifth stump and angling away sharply. Pandya, hopping across to cut, was deceived by the slower pace and sharp movement, managing only a floaty edge that floated to the right of keeper Josh Inglis, who was standing wide to anticipate the shot. Inglis pouched the catch, ending Pandya’s dangerous knock at a strike rate of 173.33 and this crucial wicket, PBKS’s fifth, swung the momentum decisively. MI, who were poised to breach 200, were reined in, managing just 184/7.
TCNI’s Hero of the Day
Taking out TCNI’s Hero of the Day award, Priyansh Arya emerged as the unsung hero for Punjab Kings in their seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians, chasing 185 in 18.3 overs and Arya’s explosive 62 off 35 balls, with nine fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 177.14, set the tone for PBKS’s dominant chase and facing early swing from MI’s potent pace attack, including Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, Arya attacked with flair, smashing two fours off Boult’s first over and a punched four against Deepak Chahar.
His fearless approach neutralized MI’s bowlers, who struggled with the dew, allowing PBKS to reach 34/0 before Prabhsimran Singh’s 13 off 16 fell to Bumrah. Arya’s composure during the tough powerplay overs, where Chahar bowled a maiden, was crucial. His 109-run stand with Josh Inglis, who scored a match-winning 73 off 42, enabled Inglis to capitalize later, attacking Santner’s spin for two sixes and reverse-sweeping Ashwani Kumar for two fours. Arya’s innings, ended by Santner in the 14th over, paved the way for Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 26 off 16 to seal the win.
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