Iyer's heroics power pbks to ipl final, ignite test team hopes - the statesman

Calls for Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion in the Indian Test team grew louder after the stylish right-hander once again showcased extraordinary leadership and exceptional composure under pressure,

single-handedly guiding the Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final, ending an 11-year title drought. Iyer smashed an unbeaten 87 off just 41 balls to help his side secure a clinical five-wicket

win, knocking five-time champions Mumbai Indians out in a high-voltage second qualifier at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday night. Advertisement The result sets up a rematch

of the first qualifier in Tuesday’s final, with Punjab taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in what promises to be a battle of the Reds, and with one certainty: there will be a new IPL

champion this year. Advertisement More than the result, it was Iyer’s leadership and batting brilliance that stole the spotlight, prompting several commentators to advocate for his inclusion

in India’s Test squad for the upcoming England series starting June 20. While the formats differ, Iyer’s red-hot form makes the argument hard to ignore. Displaying a perfect blend of

elegance and temperament, Iyer paced his innings to perfection, helping PBKS chase down a stiff target of 204 with an over to spare. He struck five fours and eight sixes, recovering from a

slow start to finish with a flurry. He also forged a match-winning 84-run stand with young Nehal Wadhera, whose explosive 48 off 29 balls deserves equal praise. Notably, Iyer has now led

three different franchises — Delhi Capitals (2020), Kolkata Knight Riders (2024), and Punjab Kings (2025) — to IPL finals, becoming the only captain to achieve this rare distinction. What

stood out in Iyer’s knock was his ability to accelerate under pressure. With the required run rate rising and wickets falling — including the unfortunate run-out of designated finisher

Shashank Singh when 35 runs were needed off the final 20 balls — Iyer remained unflustered. He took matters into his own hands, tearing into the MI bowling attack. After Shashank’s

dismissal, Iyer opened the face of his bat at the last moment to squeeze out two boundaries off yorkers, before launching Ashwani Kumar over long-on and long-off for consecutive sixes, one

of them off a free-hit. In the penultimate over, he struck two more massive sixes off Ashwani, sealing PBKS’s place in the final after more than a decade. Earlier, a rain-interrupted first

innings saw Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir lead Mumbai to a competitive 203/6. Suryakumar and Varma both scored fluent 44s, while Dhir provided the finishing touch with a

quickfire 37 off just 18 balls. Despite a spirited fightback from PBKS in the middle overs, MI crossed the 200-run mark. Suryakumar found his rhythm in Yuzvendra Chahal’s second and third

overs, hitting two sixes and a four. However, Chahal had the last laugh when SKY top-edged a sweep to deep mid-wicket. Soon after, Varma mistimed a lofted shot to mid-on off Jamieson,

resulting in two quick wickets for PBKS. Dhir injected late momentum by taking three boundaries off Arshdeep Singh in the 17th over, one of which came off a top edge. He and Hardik Pandya

then hit a boundary each off Omarzai, before Pandya fell to a top-edged pull in the 18th over. With PBKS penalized for a slow over rate — limiting them to four boundary fielders in the last

two overs — Dhir capitalized. He pulled and lofted for two more boundaries before finishing the innings with a heave off Omarzai for another four. Advertisement