Shreyas Iyer leads Punjab Kings to IPL final

Skipper Shreyas Iyer anchored a high-speed chase to perfection, powering Punjab Kings past mighty Mumbai Indians in a cracking Qualifier 2 clash here on Sunday.

Set a highly competitive target of 204 in a rain-delayed virtual semifinal at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Iyer (87 not out off 41 balls) kept losing partners every time they seemed on top in a contest where fortunes kept swinging back and forth.

At one stage when Shashank Singh was dismissed with Punjab needing 35 off 20 balls, five-time champions MI looked like they would nick another crunch game.

Iyer, the leading run scorer for Punjab and batting close to his best, however, never lost composure for a moment despite pressure riding high on his shoulders. Another loss would have been a brutal blow for the 2014 runners-up who finished on top of the league but got a shellacking against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Wednesday night.

Iyer, proving what a natural leader he is, was determined to bring the joy back on the faces of his team and pensive-looking coach Ricky Ponting. He found the will to play the big shots exactly when it mattered to leave a high-quality Mumbai attack stunned, setting up a revenge clash against RCB in the final at the same venue on Tuesday. Punjab won by five wickets with an over to spare.

Earlier, opener Jonny Bairstow (38, 44b) and one-drop Tilak Varma (44, 29) first laid the foundation for a seemingly strong total for MI with a brisk start before the irrepressible Suryakumar Yadav carried the momentum forward with the usually busy 26-ball 44. MI then appeared to lose the momentum when they lost Varma and Suryakumar in a space of two balls with the final five overs set to start, but a cracking 18-ball 37 from Naman Dhir gave the push his side needed.

Bairstow, who replaced the national-duty-bound Ryan Rickelton in the previous game, looked in great nick for the second game in succession. Like against the Titans, the Englishman employed his usual hell-for-leather approach, smashing three boundaries and two sixes. He cut, pulled and played uppishly with no fear whatsoever as Mumbai got the strong start they wanted in the Power Play despite losing Rohit Sharma early.

Rohit, who was dropped on 3, couldn’t capitalise on the lifeline after falling for the usual short-ball trap. Iyer had placed Vyshak Vijaykumar at deep backward square leg, and Marcus Stoinis suckered the former skipper with a short ball. Rohit’s eyes lit, but he ended up pulling it straight into the hands of Vyshak.

Varma, one of the fine young batsmen in the country, however, batted with purpose. Using his tall frame to good effect, the southpaw played some gorgeous shots to hassle the Punjab bowlers. He looked particularly good during the 72-run stand for the third wicket with Suryakumar, who too oozed class with a belligerent knock.

Playing his patented scoop shot, Suryakumar also unleashed some scorching lofted shots straight down the ground. In fact, the way Suryakumar and Varma were going, it looked like MI might rake up a near 250-run total. Punjab hit back with two quick blows, but they couldn’t contain the force of Dhir. In the end though Iyer power mattered most!