The last time the Punjab Kings (PBKS) had something huge at stake while playing the Mumbai Indians (MI), they passed with flying colors. Not too long ago in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), Shreyas Iyer and Co. claimed a top-two spot with a facile win over the five-time champions.

As things currently stand, however, that hasn’t mattered much for Punjab, who were thrashed by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1. The Kings might have a couple of questions about the kind of approach they want to take with the bat, and being without Marco Jansen certainly won’t help matters.

Mumbai, meanwhile, were seriously tested by the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator but managed to come out on top. Key performances from replacements Jonny Bairstow and Richard Gleeson held them in good stead, but the Indians have a couple of injury concerns ahead of Qualifier 2. Gleeson and Deepak Chahar are both nursing hamstring injuries, with even Tilak Varma dealing with a niggle.

A spot in the IPL 2025 summit clash is on the line, so both teams are bound to be close to their strongest. Which side can book their berth against RCB?

PBKS’ squad for IPL 2025: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh, Mitchell Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Yuzvendra Chahal, Pravin Dubey, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett.

MI’s squad for IPL 2025: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Bevon Jacobs, Robin Minz, Jonny Bairstow, Krishnan Shrijith, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Charith Asalanka, Raj Angad Bawa, Raghu Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Richard Gleeson.

IPL 2025: Can PBKS keep their IPL dream alive?

PBKS have a decent record at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, while MI have one of the lowest win percentages at the venue. A high-scoring track is expected, and that could bring the former’s explosive batting unit into the game.

Mumbai look a bit thin in the batting department, having lost Will Jacks and Ryan Rickelton. They opted to play an additional overseas pacer instead of either Charith Asalanka or Bevon Jacobs, meaning that their batting ends a touch earlier than they’d like. With Tilak in slightly indifferent form, that might not be the best proposition for the five-time IPL champions.

At the same time, however, MI have the bowling might necessary to pick off PBKS wickets in a hurry. Chahar is expected to be fit for Qualifier 2, while Trent Boult could get the ball to talk under the lights. If Mumbai can take a few wickets in the powerplay, they should be able to expose the underbelly of the Punjab middle order.

On the whole, this contest is too close to call, like any IPL knockout game between two high-variance teams. MI’s experience, past pedigree and bowling threat should give them the slight edge.

Prediction: MI to win Qualifier 2 of IPL 2025.