IPL 2025 Qualifier 2: Where did Mumbai Indians falter against Punjab Kings?

Nothing quite works against a player like Shreyas Iyer if it's his day. However, that doesn't call for the opponents to drop their weapons early. Despite mounting a defendable score of 203 in Ahmedabad, Mumbai Indians missed out on the victory in the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2. Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings from the front, neutralizing MI's most lethal weapon, Jasprit Bumrah. Clearly, on a day that Bumrah left room for additional assistance, the MI bowling order was anticipated to step up to the cause in the do-or-die match. However, the attack didn't shape up, with the bowling rotation missing the mark multiple times and the pacers missing their line and length.

Did Hardik Pandya miss the trick against Punjab Kings in the chase of IPL 2025 Qualifier 2?

When Mumbai Indians won the IPL 2025 Eliminator against Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya narrated a simple formula that always keeps the team in contention. Whenever the defense grows porous, bring Jasprit Bumrah to the fore. The plan is a tried and tested one, working 99 out of 100 times, the most recent display being against GT. Bumrah dismissed Washington Sundar at 48 off 24, and the match turned on its head. However, Mumbai couldn't pull the same against Punjab Kings in the Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad.

In the rain-delayed contest, Mumbai Indians batted impressively in the adverse conditions. Jonny Bairstow set the tempo in the powerplay with another explosive cameo. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma cruised in the middle with a 72-run stand for the third wicket. Moreover, Naman Dhir ensured an ideal finish, taking on Arshdeep Singh in the penultimate over. The collective effort led MI to a par total of 203, a score that provided the bowling order ample chances to make inroads. However, MI missed the trick despite starting the chase ideally.

Trent Boult dismissed Prabhsimran Singh in the 3rd over, setting a stage for MI to claim early domination. However, Josh Inglis arrived to undo all of Boult's charge. In an attempt to announce Punjab's charge, Inglis took on Bumrah directly. The Australian batter thrashed the seasoned seamer for 4,0,6,0,4,6, mounting 20 runs in his over. The momentum slipped as Bumrah fumbled his first over of the spell.

Nonetheless, MI created more chances with Ashwani Kumar dismissing Priyansh Arya in the next over. The most significant difference was made by the skipper himself, as Pandya claimed Josh Inglis in the 8th over. In the mid, Santner bowled a tight over before Pandya hid the spinner against the PBKS captain, Shreyas Iyer. However, as Iyer and Wadhera settled, Pandya seemed to grow impatient. Pandya's second over went for 17, but the pacer created another chance only for Trent Boult to drop a sitter. If not for Wadhera earning a lifeline, Pandya would have hampered the chase of Punjab Kings even more deeply.

However, in a head-scratching move, Pandya took a step back. The skipper didn't complete his spell despite clearly showing more control than Reece Topley. Topley's MI debut happened right in the crucial Qualifier 2. The English pacer leaked 40 runs in 3 overs as Pandya pushed him ahead. Bumrah went wicketless, with Iyer playing his yorkers perfectly. Santner was kept hidden across the last 10 overs as Iyer found it easy against Topley and Ashwani, who was given the penultimate over with 23 on the board to defend.

Tom Moody scrutinises Pandya's move to promote Topley over himself in Qualifier 2

After MI lost the IPL 2025 Qualifier 2, Pandya himself rued the missed marks in the bowling rotations. However, for Pandya to miss the trick in Ahmedabad, his home ground until IPL 2023 as the captain of GT, left the fraternity riled up. Iyer's knock and Bumrah's wicketless spell laid the most impact in the match. However, had Pandya backed himself over Topley, PBKS could've been crushed. Santner was not called back in the business end of the match as the asking run-rate didn't charge up. Now, as MI have bowed out of IPL 2025, experts have called out the loopholes in Pandya's decisions.

Tom Moody described Topley as a "bowler conditioned for nets." However, the former SRH coach didn't put the blame on the pacer, as the Qualifier 2 marked his debut match in IPL 2025. Moody questioned Pandya's logic behind not completing his quota of overs and giving Topley a chance.

“Hardik should have had a two-for. That second over, that catch that you'd expect Trent Boult to take 99 times out of 100. He fresh-aired it. Not even a firm glove on it. He should have bowled. He was executing what was required on that surface,” Moody said. “And that was an opportunity that was missed. He should have had a two-for, and I agree, he should have come back and grabbed the bull by the horns, and said, 'Right, okay, I'm going to bowl in here,’” he added.

“Topley looked like a bowler that was conditioned for nets but way off the mark for real, high-pressure, competitive cricket,” Moody said. “That's what he was missing. It's very hard to come from being on top of your game, feeling you've got rhythm, bowling good areas in the nets, to suddenly transferring that to a pressure-game situation,” he added.

The wait for the 6th trophy, one that would make Mumbai Indians the most successful team in IPL history, has now stretched over 5 seasons. Meanwhile, the IPL 2025 final is now etched as a battle for maiden glory. RCB and PBKS, the Qualifier 1 opponents, lock horns again in Ahmedabad in the title clash. Whichever team comes up would claim their first-ever IPL title in the 18-year-long legacy of the tournament.