Punjab Kings have secured their place in Qualifier 1 of the tournament, dominating Mumbai Indians in their final league stage match. With a direct path to the first qualifier on the line, Shreyas Iyer's side comfortably overcame the five-time champions, ensuring a top-two finish.
On Monday, May 26, in Jaipur, Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets. After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Punjab restricted Hardik Pandya's team to 184 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Punjab then chased down the target with 9 balls and 7 wickets to spare.
This impressive victory propels Punjab past Gujarat, giving them 19 points from 9 wins in 14 matches. Punjab will face the winner of the match between Bengaluru and Lucknow in Qualifier 1. If Bengaluru wins, they will be Punjab's opponents; otherwise, Gujarat will take on Punjab.
Mumbai's Innings: Yadav's Fifty Not Enough
Batting first after losing the toss, Mumbai got a decent start from the opening pair of Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma, who added 45 runs in 5.1 overs before Rickelton was dismissed for 27 off 20 balls. Rohit, despite getting set, couldn't accelerate and was out for 24 off 21 balls when the team score was 81.
Mumbai's competitive total largely rested on Suryakumar Yadav's half-century. He scored 57 runs from 39 balls, including 6 fours and 2 sixes. Captain Hardik Pandya contributed 26 runs from 15 balls, Naman Dhir added 20 from 12, and Will Jacks chipped in with 17 from 8.
For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, and Vijaykumar Vyshak each claimed two wickets, while Harpreet Brar picked up the remaining one.
Punjab's Chase: Arya and Inglis Dominate
In response, Punjab's chase saw opener Prabhsimran Singh depart for 13, but the other opener, Priyansh Arya, and one-down batsman Josh Inglis launched a blistering attack. This crucial partnership of 109 runs from 59 balls effectively took Mumbai out of the game.
Santner dismissed Priyansh in the first ball of the 15th over. Before getting out, Priyansh scored a superb 62 runs off just 35 balls, featuring 9 fours and 2 sixes. Inglis fell just 17 runs short of victory, becoming Santner's second victim after scoring 73 runs from 42 balls, including 9 fours and 3 sixes.
Captain Shreyas Iyer (26* off 16 balls, with 1 four and 2 sixes) and Nehal Wadhera (2*) then easily completed the remaining task for Punjab.
For Mumbai, Santner took two wickets, and Bumrah claimed one. With this loss, Mumbai Indians are confirmed to finish in fourth place with 16 points from 14 matches. Hardik Pandya's team will now face either Bengaluru or Gujarat in the Eliminator.
