IPL: Punjab Kings reach Qualifier 1 with win over Mumbai Indians

Chasing 185, Punjab Kings began cautiously but were jolted by the early wicket of Prabhsimran Singh. However, the innings found its rhythm quickly with the duo of Priyansh Arya and Josh Inglis, with their elegant stroke play. Runs flowed and the pair put together a 109-run partnership, frustrating MI's bowlers who struggled to find wickets or build any pressure.

Despite the late wickets from Mitchell Santner, who dismissed both Arya and Inglis in quick succession, Arya's 62 off 35 balls, along with Inglis's 73 off 42 balls, firmly put the momentum in PBKS's favour.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer then stood tall, anchoring the innings, guiding his team to victory with a composed 26 not out. The Kings achieved the target with nine balls to spare, finishing at 187 for 3, to secure a seven-wicket win and a place in Qualifier 1.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians' innings was a mixed bag. After losing the toss and being put into bat first by PBKS, MI's openers Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma got off off to a slow yet decent start, but it was Suryakumar Yadav who played a pivotal role in steering his team to a competitive total. Despite his brilliance, the other MI batters struggled to establish momentum and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

For the Kings, Arshdeep Singh (2 for 28) and Marco Jansen  (2 for 34) emerged as the standout performers. Singh's tight spell and Jansen's pace and bounce troubled the MI batters, containing runs and keeping the scoreboard under control.

This result guarantees Punjab Kings a spot in the top two of the points table and will see them pair up against either Royal Challengers Bengaluru or Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.

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