Shreyas Iyer had an incredible game, leading the Punjab Kings to a thrilling win over the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2025 early Monday morning. He scored 87 runs off just 41 balls, helping PBKS chase down a target of 204 and setting up a final match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
As the defending champion, Iyer is just one win away from bagging back-to-back IPL titles and giving Punjab their first-ever trophy. Along the way, he’s made some history himself by becoming the first captain to guide three different teams to the IPL final. He previously took the Delhi Capitals to the final in 2020 and won with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. No other captain has led more than one team to the final.
This marks Punjab’s second IPL final, and their first since 2014. They’ve struggled for years, but with Ricky Ponting as coach and Iyer as captain, they’re looking strong this season. They’ll face RCB in the final on June 3, where a new champion will be crowned.
On top of that, coach Ricky Ponting is making his own mark by becoming the first head coach to take three teams to the IPL final. He coached Mumbai to the final in 2015 and the Delhi Capitals in 2020, and now he’s done it with PBKS in 2025. Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming have also led two teams to the final, with Vettori coaching RCB in 2016 and SRH in 2024, while Fleming has taken CSK to the final nine times and led Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.