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Punjab Kings (PBKS) scripted a historic win on Sunday, defeating the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) to book their place in the IPL 2025 final. However, even as Shreyas Iyer led the chase with a captain’s knock, a major over-rate breach cost both him and his counterpart, Hardik Pandya, heavily in penalties.
While the 204-run chase ended in celebratory scenes for PBKS at the Narendra Modi Stadium, a post-match statement from the league confirmed that both franchises had committed over-rate offences.
Notably, it was Punjab’s second such violation of the season, resulting in a Rs 24 lakh fine for Iyer as per the IPL’s updated Code of Conduct. The rest of his playing XI, including the impact player, were fined Rs 6 lakh or 25% of their match fee.
Hardik Faces Higher Penalty in MI’s Third Offence
The cost was even steeper for the Mumbai Indians. For their third over-rate breach this season, Hardik Pandya was fined Rs 30 lakh, while the rest of his squad members were handed Rs 12 lakh or 50% salary deductions, whichever was lower.
Under the previous code, a third violation would have triggered a match ban for the captain, as happened with Hardik last season, but revisions made ahead of IPL 2025 spared him suspension this time.
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Shreyas Iyer’s Brilliance Not Enough to Avoid Sanction
Despite the administrative penalty, Iyer’s on-field performance was nothing short of exceptional. He remained unbeaten on 87 off just 41 balls, hitting eight sixes and five fours in a high-pressure chase.
With support from Nehal Wadhera (48 off 29), the duo added 84 runs in under eight overs to neutralise Mumbai’s 203/6.
Josh Inglis’ early cameo (38 off 21) included a 20-run assault on Jasprit Bumrah that set the tone. The bowling unit, led by Azmatullah Omarzai (2/43), did enough to contain the MI middle order, despite late cameos from Naman Dhir and Suryakumar Yadav.
Punjab Kings now advance to their first IPL final since 2014, set to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 3 in what will guarantee a maiden title for either side.
