Record-breaking Shreyas Iyer powers Punjab Kings to IPL final

Shreyas Iyer broke three records in the Punjab Kings’ win over the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier Two of the IPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Punjab Kings, who beat Mumbai Indians by five wickets, will now face Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final on June 3.

Iyer led Punjab’s efforts in a record-breaking run chase in a match that was delayed because of rainfall.

The skipper was unbeaten on 87 off 41 runs as Kings chased down 204 runs with one over to spare.

Josh Inglis (38 off 21 balls) and Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29 balls) also contributed to the win.

For Mumbai Indians, their best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, had an off day. He gave away 40 runs and failed to pick a wicket.

Shreyas Iyer breaks multiple records

During Kings’ win, Iyer managed to break multiple records. He beat Glenn Maxwell and Chris Gayle to hit the most sixes by a Punjab batter in a season.

His eight maximums against Mumbai took the 30-year-old’s tally to 38.

Iyer also became the first captain to lead three different franchises to the IPL final.

Under his leadership, Delhi Capitals reached the final in 2020. Four years later, Shreyas Iyer captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title.

The 204-run chase is the first time the Mumbai Indians have failed to defend a 200-plus score in the IPL. Kings’ score is the highest-ever in IPL playoff/knockout matches.

This is the eighth time Punjab has chased 200+, the most by any team.

Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav (44) and Tilak Varma (44) top-scored for the Mumbai Indians. (Hindustan Times)