Punjab Kings created history in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025 by brushing Mumbai Indians aside in a thrilling run chase. They have now booked their ticket for the epic grand final and will face off against RCB on June 3 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It is also their second appearance in the IPL final since the 2014 edition. 

After being down and out against RCB in the first Qualifier, PBKS were completely written off by the experts. It all seemed that PBKS's journey was coming to a swift end. Their star-studded batting featuring their skipper Shreyas Iyer imploded catastrophically, handing RCB one of their biggest wins in terms of wickets & overs remaining. 

It seemed as though PBKS would not stand a chance against a side like MI, who historically have the reputation for being at their prime best in the knockout phase. But much to everyone's surprise, PBKS did the unthinkable and bounced back valiantly to deliver a deadly knock-out punch to Hardik & Co., resulting in the painful exit of MI from IPL 2025. 

See also: Top 3 reasons why Mumbai Indians Lost to Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 Qualifier 2

Inglis' onslaught against Bumrah gave PBKS the self-belief

PBKS' bowling was not up to the mark early doors. Their ace pacer Arshdeep erred on the higher side and went wicketless while Vyshak, Omarzai, and Stoinis also leaked runs at an exponentially high rate. However, their batting department saved the day for PBKS. After a dismal outing in the previous Qualifier game, PBKS batters batted quite sensibly. 

Chasing a stiff target of 204, PBKS did not get off to a promising start as they lost Prabhsimran cheaply with only 13 on the board. But then, Inglis arrived and he launched a scathing attack on the MI bowlers to roll the tide back in his side's favor. The most notable highlight of his innings was his counter-attacking punch against Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best operating fast bowlers in world cricket. 

The carnage unfolded during the fifth over of the run chase. Inglis quickly raced out of the blocks to put Bumrah under the pump. The Aussie wicket-keeper batsman slammed 20 off that over, which comprised two fours and two sixes apiece.

After the highs of the second Qualifier subsided momentarily, Iyer revealed that the over against Bumrah ignited the spark and the self-belief in the team to do the impossible. 

Shreyas Iyer said, "Josh Inglis taking down Bumrah gave us the belief and the confidence, it was the initial push we needed". pic.twitter.com/h44SHP94BV

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 2, 2025

This instance greatly illustrated Inglis's offensive strategy and demonstrated his capability to defeat even the most skilled bowlers in the sport, leaving both the audience and commentators astonished by the onslaught of boundaries and maximums. Inglis was eventually dismissed by Pandya on 38, but his quick-fire onslaught proved to be a decisive point in the game as the launpad was set for Shreyas and Wadhera to go big in the death overs.