Shreyas Iyer outsmarts Bumrah to power Punjab Kings into IPL 2025 final

In the decisive moments of Qualifier II, Jasprit Bumrah charged in with the weight of Mumbai Indians’ IPL campaign on his shoulders. Across the crease stood a man who had faced critics, injuries, and inconsistency—now transformed into Punjab Kings’ defiant leader. What followed was not just a masterclass in T20 batting — it was a statement.

With 31 needed off the final three overs, MI skipper Hardik Pandya called upon his go-to savior. “It’s very simple. Whenever you think the game is going away, just bring him (Bumrah),” Pandya had said after the Eliminator. But Shreyas Iyer wasn’t reading from that script.

On Bumrah’s second ball — a searing yorker zeroing in on middle stump — Iyer produced a moment that may well define IPL 2025. Most batters scramble just to survive a delivery like that. Iyer didn’t just survive. He opened the face of the bat with surgical precision, threading the gap past short third-man. Four runs. Panic for Mumbai. Poetry for Punjab.

That one stroke, hailed by AB de Villiers as “the shot of the tournament,” wasn’t a flash of luck. It was calculated, practiced, and performed under crushing pressure. Bumrah had watched Iyer dispatch similar yorkers from others—now he was on the receiving end.

The over unraveled. Bumrah, suddenly human, failed to land his yorkerss cleanly. Iyer, still in the zone, kept pressing. Punjab milked 40 runs off Bumrah’s four overs — an unimaginable stat just days ago.

And that was the game. Punjab crossed the finish line with six balls to spare. The architect? Iyer—composed, clinical, and commanding.

The making of a modern middle-order master

What sets Iyer apart isn’t just flair — it’s evolution. He’s batted over 600 runs this season, a first for him in the IPL, and has turbocharged his strike rate to 175.80—a staggering jump from his career average of 133.40. With 39 sixes in this edition alone, he’s gone from dependable to devastating.

The secret lies partly in technique. His high backlift, often seen as a vulnerability, has become his weapon. Pravin Amre, his long-time mentor, explains: “It gives him that bat-swing needed to clear boundaries in the middle overs when the field is spread.”

This adjustment has also paid off against short-pitched deliveries—once a glaring weakness. Iyer now meets bouncers with control, balance, and a growing arsenal of strokes. The leg-side shuffles are gone. In their place: calm footwork and explosive execution.

Leading with intent

After a season in the shadows at KKR, Iyer has embraced a new role at Punjab: leader, finisher, enforcer. With a team light on big overseas names, he’s led from the front—shouldering responsibility and reshaping the team’s identity under head coach Ricky Ponting.

Ponting calls it confidence. Amre calls it clarity. Fans just call it thrilling.

Now, with Punjab Kings heading into their first IPL final in over a decade, the chance for Shreyas Iyer to etch his name into franchise folklore is real.