Preity Zinta winks at PBKS Player [Source: @ASHISHS_45/X]
Punjab Kings (PBKS) made it to the IPL final for the first time in 11 years, and they did it in style by beating Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets on Sunday night at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Shreyas Iyer led from the front, smashing an unbeaten 87 runs off just 41 balls. Thanks to his brilliant batting, PBKS chased down a big target of 204 runs with an over to spare. This win was especially sweet since PBKS had been outplayed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their previous game.
Now, PBKS and Bengaluru will face off again in the IPL 2025 Final, guaranteeing that one of them will finally win their first IPL trophy.
Preity Zinta Winks at PBKS Player
After the match, emotions ran high. PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta was full of excitement, cheering loudly from the stands. In a viral video, Zinta was caught winking at one of the PBKS players, likely out of pure joy after waiting so long for this moment.
Preity Zinta winks at PBKS Player [Source: @choWARyanga/X]
How PBKS Outplayed Mumbai Indians In Qualifier 2
MI batted first and scored a solid 203 for 6. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav both scored 44, while Jonny Bairstow added 38 runs off 24 balls. Naman Dhir also chipped in with a quick 37 off 18 balls near the end. For PBKS, Azmatullah Omarzai was the top bowler with 2 wickets for 43 runs.
In the chase, PBKS got off to a great start with Josh Inglis hitting 38 off 21 balls, including 20 runs off star bowler Jasprit Bumrah in one over. Then, Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera built a solid partnership of 84 runs in just under 8 overs. Wadhera scored 48 off 29 balls.
Shreyas Iyer finished the job in style, hitting a six to win the match. His innings included 5 fours and 8 sixes. As soon as the winning shot was hit, the PBKS camp erupted in celebration.
With this win, PBKS now head to the IPL final, hoping to finally lift their first-ever trophy.