IPL 2025 Final: Reliving Punjab Kings' historic road to the finale

Punjab Kings (PBKS) secured a long-awaited return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) final after 11 years, defeating Mumbai Indians by five wickets in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.

 

This marks only the second time PBKS have reached the IPL final, their first appearance coming back in 2014 when they narrowly lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets.

 

Now, they are set to meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a high-stakes final at the same venue on Tuesday. Both teams were standout performers during the league phase, finishing at the top of the table—Punjab in first place and Bengaluru in second.

 

The two sides previously met in Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur, where RCB delivered a dominant performance to defeat PBKS by eight wickets, earning a direct berth in the final for the first time since 2016. Punjab, however, bounced back strongly to keep their title hopes alive. 

 

Shreyas Iyer Leads from the Front

 

Snatching the win from the grasp of 5-time champions Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 clash, skipper Shreyas Iyer is locked in and wants back-to-back titles this years. His 87*-run knock proved how pivotal the batter is for the side not just as a player but as a captain as well.

 

Taking a record 3rd side to the final as skipper, Iyer has been phenomenal this season and amassed 600+ runs this season, striking at a rate of 175.

 

Bowling Brilliance 

Despite of losing Marco Jansen in the business end of the season, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal have taken control of things for now and have been crucial in taking out crucial wickets for the side. Arshdeep is the team's leading wicket taker and has taken 18 scalps so far with one more game to go.

 

Most 200+ chases by a franchise

 

Punjab Kings have now successfully chased down a 200+ target for the eighth time, setting a new record for the most 200-plus run chases by any team in IPL history. 

 

PBKS’s Road to the Final

 

Match 1 – PBKS vs GT – Won by 11 runs

Match 2 – LSG vs PBKS – Won by 8 wickets

Match 3 – RR vs PBKS – Lost by 50 runs

Match 4 – PBKS vs SRH – Lost by 8 wickets

Match 5 – PBKS vs KKR – Won by 16 runs

Match 6 – RCB vs PBKS – Won by 5 wickets (14-over game, DLS method)

Match 7 – PBKS vs RCB – Lost by 7 wickets

Match 8 – PBKS vs KKR – No result

Match 9 – CSK vs PBKS – Won by 4 wickets

Match 10 – PBKS vs LSG – Won by 37 runs

Match 11 – PBKS vs DC – Match abandoned due to technical failure

Match 12 – PBKS vs RR – Won by 10 runs

Match 13 – PBKS vs DC – Lost by 6 wickets

Match 14 – MI vs PBKS – Won by 7 wickets

Qualifier 1 – PBKS vs RCB – Lost by 8 wickets