IPL 2025: Punjab Kings seal Qualifier 1 spot with statement win over Mumbai Indians
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2025: Punjab Kings seal Qualifier 1 spot with statement win over Mumbai Indians")
Brilliant fifties by opener Priyansh Arya and keeper-batter Josh Inglis helped Punjab complete the run chase within 19 overs and seal the Qualifier 1 spot.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have sealed the Qualifier 1 spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs after a statement win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur on Monday (May 26). Punjab beat Mumbai by seven wickets to finish among the top two on the points table with 19 points from 14 contested matches. Winning nine league games means they qualified for the tournament knockout for the first time since 2014.
Brilliant fifties by opener Priyansh Arya and keeper-batter Josh Inglis helped Punjab complete the run chase within 19 overs and seal the Qualifier 1 spot.
Punjab won the toss and elected to field first. Backing their bowlers to deliver the first punch, PBKS found success inside the Powerplay with Ryan Rickelton’s wicket. Rohit Sharma and Tilak Varma departed quickly later on before seamer Vijaykumar Vyshak accounted for dangerous-looking Will Jacks on 17.
Captain Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav held the innings together by taking the attack to the opposition. The pair accelerated the scoring rate, and despite losing Pandya in the 17th over, they kept going about their business. An expensive penultimate over saw MI cross the 180-run-mark but failed to make it big in the last one, with Arshdeep Singh winning the battle and returning with two wickets.
Punjab batters go big
The dynamite batting pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh began with the onslaught from the word go, adding 34 for the first wicket. It was when the real action began; Inglis joined Arya in the middle, and the pair went bonkers. Both kept hammering fours and sixes for fun, sparing none. The left-right combination helped Punjab sit in the driver’s seat, making the most of the momentum.
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Though Arya lost his wicket soon after completing his impressive fifty, Inglis decided against slowing down and instead looked to hit all balls across the boundary line. However, before he could wrap up the run chase, Mitchell Santner dismissed him, trapped in the front on a well-made 73.
Nehal Wadhera and Iyer completed the formalities and helped the team win this blockbuster contest by seven wickets.
While Punjab will play the Qualifier 1 on Thursday (May 29), Mumbai will play the Eliminator the next day, with both games taking place in Mullanpur.
