Punjab reached the IPL final by defeating Mumbai.

 The Indian Premier League (IPL) is guaranteed to have a new champion this season.

In the second qualifier match that began on Sunday and concluded on Monday, Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians, confirming that a new team will lift the IPL trophy this year.

Punjab secured a spot in the final by beating Mumbai by 5 wickets. Chasing a target of 204 runs, Punjab reached the total with 1 over to spare, losing just 5 wickets in the process. They will now face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final on Tuesday.

For Punjab, captain Shreyas Iyer played a match-winning knock of 87 runs off 41 balls*, smashing 5 fours and 8 sixes. Nehal Wadhera supported with 48 runs off 29 balls. The duo built a crucial 84-run partnership for the fourth wicket, leading the team towards victory.

Opener Priyansh Arya contributed 20 runs, while Josh Inglis scored 38 runs, and Prabhsimran Singh added 6 runs. On the bowling side, Ashwini Kumar took 2 wickets for Mumbai, while Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Mumbai had posted a total of 203 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs. After losing captain Rohit Sharma for just 8 runs in the third over, Jonny Bairstow and Tilak Varma put together a 51-run partnership to give Mumbai a strong start. Bairstow scored 38 runs off 24 balls, hitting 3 fours and 2 sixes.

Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav shared a 72-run partnership for the third wicket.
Suryakumar scored 44 runs off 26 balls, hitting 4 fours and 3 sixes.
Tilak also made 44 runs off 29 balls, with 2 fours and 2 sixes, before getting out in the 15th over.

Naman Dhir added a quick 37 runs off just 18 balls, including 7 fours, helping Mumbai cross the 200-run mark.
Captain Hardik Pandya scored 15 off 13 balls, and Raj Bawa chipped in with 8 runs off 4 balls.

For Punjab, Azmatullah Omarzai took 2 wickets, while Kyle Jamieson, Marcus Stoinis, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Yuzvendra Chahal each grabbed 1 wicket.

In the first qualifier, Royal Challengers Bangalore had already secured a spot in the final by defeating Punjab by 8 wickets.