What happened the last time PBKS played a Qualifier 2 match before IPL 2025?
One of the teams yet to win the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Punjab Kings (PBKS) had a memorable time in the ongoing 18th edition of the competition, finishing the group stage at the top of the table. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, the Punjab Kings have been one of the most dominant sides, and it reflected in their results.
However, they were hammered by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1, which has now forced them to play Qualifier 2 against the dangerous Mumbai Indians, who are coming off a hard-fought victory against the Gujarat Titans. This promises to be a cliffhanger with both sides equally matched.
Punjab Kings’ consistent run in the tournament has ensured they get another shot at the final, and they will be hoping to stage a turnaround in this knockout encounter against Mumbai Indians.
This is not the first time they will be playing Qualifier 2. Back in 2012, formerly the Kings XI Punjab, they squared off against the Chennai Super Kings in one of the greatest playoff matches of the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field, and it was carnage right from the outset. Virender Sehwag, who ended up scoring a match-winning century, caught the CSK bowlers off guard.
He was at his blistering best and smashed the Yellow Army to all corners of Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He got able support from Manan Vohra at the other end, who scored a well compiled 35, sharing a 110-run opening stand with Sehwag.
It was an exhibition of strokeplay from Sehwag as boundaries kept flying from his blade one after the other. He toyed with the CSK bowlers and smashed 12 fours and eight sixes during his memorable knock of 122, which came off just 58 deliveries.
David Miller then took the onus on himself to take the score beyond the 200-run mark. He shared a 63-run stand with Sehwag and scored 38 off 19 deliveries to take the eventual score to 226/6.
It was a massive score, especially for a knockout match, but what transpired in the first six overs of the run chase left everyone hooked to the game. After Mitchell Johnson dismissed Faf du Plessis early, Suresh Raina bossed the powerplay.
During an exhilarating display of strokeplay, Raina smashed a 25-ball 87 to bring CSK right back in the game. If Sehwag’s knock was a masterclass, Raina took it a notch further and put CSK in a commanding position.
None of the bowlers in the powerplay, including Mitchell Johnson, Sandeep Sharma, and Parvinder Awana, was spared as boundaries became a regular feature. His dismissal in the 7th over, which was caused by a brilliant run-out by George Bailey, turned the game on its head, allowing Punjab to control the game in the middle overs.
Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni, who scored 27 and 42, respectively, made useful contributions, but the target proved a bit too much in the end. Axar Patel and Karamveer Singh bowled brilliant spells.
While Axar picked up a wicket, Karamveer remained wicketless, but it was their economical bowling that made a difference. CSK were eventually restricted to 202, handing Kings XI a convincing 24-run win.