IPL 2025: Confident MI meet dented PBKS in Qualifier 2
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is heading toward its climax with Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) set to face off in Qualifier 2.
The match will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 1.
PBKS made it to this stage after losing heavily to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1.
Meanwhile, MI defeated Gujarat Titans in a high-scoring Eliminator.
Here we look at the match preview and key stats.
Pitch report
Narendra Modi Stadium: A batsman's paradise
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium is known to favor batsmen but also provides some assistance to pacers.
The average first-innings total here is around 175.
As per ESPNcricinfo, teams batting first have won six of the seven games here this season.
Hence, winning the toss and opting to bowl first would be a strategic move.
The match will be live-streamed on JioHotstar (app and website) and Star Sports Network (7:30pm IST).
Campaign
A look at their campaigns
PBKS topped the IPL 2025 points table with 19 points. They had a Net Run Rate of +0.372.
However, they were folded for just 101 in the first Qualifier. Moreover, RCB chased down the score with 10 overs to spare.
The Kings, however, have an extra opportunity to join RCB in the final.
Meanwhile, MI bounced back after a poor start to the season to finish fourth on the table.
They defended 228 runs in the Eliminator.
Rivalry stats
PBKS vs MI: A look at their head-to-head record
PBKS and MI have faced each other 33 times in IPL history.
Out of these, PBKS won 16 matches while MI emerged victorious on 17 occasions (including Super Over results).
The last encounter between the two teams took place in the penultimate league game of the ongoing season.
PBKS comfortably chased down 185 in that fixture.
Meanwhile, the two teams are set to meet for the first time in Ahmedabad.
DYK
Both teams reeling with unavailabilities
It is worth noting that Marco Jansen is no longer a part of PBKS.
He has joined the South African side for the World Test Championship final preparations.
Yuzvendra Chahal is reportedly nursing a wrist injury, which also kept him out of Qualifier 1.
On the other hand, MI's key players Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks have joined their respective national teams.
Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson thereby entered MI's XI in the Eliminator.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
PBKS (Probable XI): Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar/Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson.
MI (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson.
Impact subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak (PBKS) and Ashwani Kumar (MI).
Stats
Here are the key performers
Shreyas Iyer has led PBKS from the front, with 516 runs from 15 innings at a strike rate of 170.86.
With 18 wickets at 24.11, Arshdeep Singh is the leading wicket-taker of the team.
With 673 runs at a strike rate of 167.83, Suryakumar Yadav is the second-leading run-getter this year.
Jasprit Bumrah has scalped 18 wickets in IPL 2025 at a sensational economy of 6.36.
Poll
