Shreyas Iyer etched his name in the history books on Sunday as he became just the fifth skipper to register 50 wins in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The landmark came as Punjab Kings (PBKS) edged past five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in a high-stakes Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, sealing a five-wicket win and punching their ticket to the IPL final for the second time after 2014.Iyer’s leadership journey in the IPL has been nothing short of remarkable. Having captained Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and now PBKS, he has led in 85 matches, winning 50 (including two via Super Over) and losing 34, with two no-results, giving him a win percentage exceeding 57%. For DC, he secured 23 wins in 41 matches, including a runners-up finish in 2020. At KKR, Iyer delivered their third IPL title in 2023 with 17 wins in 29 games. And in his debut season with PBKS, he has already registered nine wins in 15 matches, leading them to the top of the table with a 60% win rate.Notably, Iyer is the only captain to have taken three different IPL franchises to the final and the only one to top the league stage with two different sides in consecutive seasons (KKR in 2023 and PBKS in 2024).Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?With this win, Iyer joins an elite group of IPL skippers with 50+ wins: MS Dhoni (136), Rohit Sharma (87), Gautam Gambhir (71), and Virat Kohli (66).Batting first, Mumbai Indians rode on strong middle-order contributions to post 203/6. Rohit Sharma fell early for 8, while Jonny Bairstow looked promising before departing for 38 off 24. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav both scored brisk 44s before falling on the same score of 142. A late cameo from Naman Dhir, who struck 37 off just 18 balls, propelled MI past the 200-run mark.
PBKS bowlers shared the spoils. Azmatullah Omarzai picked up 2/43, while Jamieson, Stoinis, Vyshak, and Chahal chipped in with a wicket apiece.In reply, PBKS had a shaky start as openers Prabhsimran Singh (6) and Priyansh Arya (20 off 10) fell early. However, Josh Inglis (38 off 21) and Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29) rebuilt the innings. The chase was sealed by skipper Shreyas Iyer, who played a captain’s knock, remaining unbeaten on 87, and Marcus Stoinis, who held his nerve at the other end. PBKS chased down the target in 19 overs.
