Match no. 73 will see the Punjab Kings (PBKS) lock horns with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Qualifier 2 match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday, June 1, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Punjab are in the playoffs for the first time since 2014, as they eye their first-ever IPL trophy this season. Mumbai, on the other hand, will look to take a significant step forward towards a record-sixth IPL title with a win against PBKS.
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Punjab have played quite brilliantly under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer, as they finished top of the table with 19 points to their name.
They will be looking to brush off their loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 and put in an improved performance against the five-time champions to keep their title hopes alive.
Mumbai are coming off a valiant display against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator, as they thumped the 2022 champions by 20 runs to set up a face-off with the league leaders. The winner of this fixture will have to face RCB in the finals to get their hands on the most coveted trophy.
A game of such significance is usually decided by key player battles, which ultimately shape up the match in one's favour. The Sporting News takes a look at the key player battles for this match.
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Key player battles and matchups to watch in PBKS vs MI, IPL 2025 Qualifier 2
Let’s take a look at the player battles that could shape the high-voltage game.
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Arshdeep Singh vs Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has been in good form recently, as he is coming off a brilliant knock of 81 off 55 deliveries against GT. However, Sharma has consistently found it difficult against left-arm pacers in the IPL now.
Arshdeep Singh will pose a threat to the veteran batter with the ball angling in towards his pads. Rohit has faced Arshdeep five times in the T20 format, with the fast bowler managing to dismiss the veteran batsman only once. A wicket up top and that too in the powerplay, will decide the fate of the match.
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Shreyas Iyer vs Jasprit Bumrah
The PBKS skipper has fared well so far, as he is currently the highest run-getter of his team in this edition. He will be up against MI's biggest weapon, Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah will be tasked with providing breakthroughs in the middle-overs phase, where Shreyas Iyer will play a key role for the Punjab Kings. The winner of this battle will ultimately prove to be a decisive factor in the outcome of the match.
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Iyer has been dismissed only once by Bumrah in nine outings in the T20 format and has a strike rate of 139.13 against the pacer.
Yuzvendra Chahal vs Suryakumar Yadav
Chahal's return from injury has provided a major boost to the PBKS camp, as he will shoulder the responsibility of taking out Mumbai's most consistent performer this season, Suryakumar Yadav. Yadav is in the Orange Cap race with 673 runs so far, as Mumbai's batting form heavily depends on the batter's performance.
The wicket of Yadav in the middle overs could prove to be decisive, as Chahal will look to make the batter return to the dugout as soon as possible to increase Punjab's chances of winning the game.
Chala has faced Yadav 12 times in the T20 format, where the wrist-spinner has managed to dismiss him only once. This clash promises to be one of the biggest things to look forward to in this match.