IPL 2025, Qualifier 2: Presenting key player battles
What's the story
Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to clash in the second Qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The match will be held at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, June 1.
This encounter is a rematch of a recent league stage game on May 26, which PBKS won by chasing down a target of 185.
Here we decode the key player battles that can be on display.
#1
Rohit Sharma vs Arshdeep Singh
Rohit Sharma scored a blistering 81 for MI in the Eliminator against Gujarat Titans and won't mind replicating his heroics.
Although Rohit can dismantle bowling attacks in the powerplay overs, he often gets trapped by left-arm seamers early on.
To exploit his weakness, PBKS will bank on the in-form Arshdeep Singh.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the PBKS seamer has dismissed Rohit once in six T20 innings. The latter strikes at 121.73 in this battle.
#2
Suryakumar Yadav vs Harpreet Brar
Suryakumar Yadav has breached the 25-run mark in each of his 15 innings this season.
With 673 runs at a strike rate of 167.83, he is the also second-leading run-getter of IPL 2025.
As he majorly bats in the middle overs, his battle with left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar would be enticing.
Against Brar, SKY has scored 33 runs off 26 balls without being dismissed in three innings.
#3
Shreyas Iyer vs Hardik Pandya
Shreyas Iyer has led PBKS from the front, with 516 runs from 15 innings at a strike rate of 170.86.
His battle with Hardik Pandya could be interesting in the middle overs.
The MI skipper has trapped his opposite number once across two IPL meetings.
It must be noted that Pandya has also recorded a five-wicket haul this season. He has overall taken 13 wickets in IPL 2025 (ER: 9.78).
#4
Prabhsimran Singh vs Trent Boult
PBKS opener Prabhsimran Singh, who has scored 517 runs at a strike rate of 166.23 this season, will face MI's in-form pacer Trent Boult.
The veteran bowler has dismissed Prabhsimran twice in five IPL innings, conceding 26 runs from 25 balls.
Boult has taken nine powerplay wickets this season, the joint-second-most for any bowler.
#5
Marcus Stoinis vs Jasprit Bumrah
Marcus Stoinis, who has been a major threat in the death overs this season, will face MI's specialist Jasprit Bumrah.
Stoinis has an impressive strike rate of 296.77 in the last four overs with 92 runs off 31 balls across three innings.
Meanwhile, Bumrah's economy of 6.37 is the best for any bowler this season. Moreover, he has trapped Stoinis thrice across seven IPL meetings, conceding just 28 runs off 36 balls.