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IIE DIGITAL DESK : June 3, 2025 —The high-stakes IPL 2025 Qualifier match that saw nerves stretched to their limit, Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer produced a masterclass in pressure play by outfoxing Mumbai Indians’ ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah with a twist of irony — he beat Bumrah using his own greatest weapon: the yorker.

The cricketing world has long hailed Jasprit Bumrah as the king of death bowling. His toe-crushing yorkers, especially in the final overs of a T20 match, have turned games around, broken partnerships, and built his legacy as one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket. But in a dramatic moment at the Narendra Modi Stadium, it was Shreyas Iyer who turned that same weapon into a counterattack — and rewrote the script 

Chasing 170 against a tight Mumbai bowling attack, PBKS were in a tense position. The scoreboard read 144 for 4 at the end of the 17th over. With 26 needed off 18 balls, and Bumrah set to bowl two of those final three overs, MI were confident of sealing the match. However, Iyer, calm and calculating, had other plans.

Having studied Bumrah’s patterns over the years — the angle of delivery, the deceptive slower ball, the variations in length — Iyer anticipated the yorker. And not once, but twice in the penultimate over, he premeditated the delivery and countered it with stunning innovation 

Facing Bumrah in the 19th over, Iyer took an off-stump guard, shuffled across the crease, and transformed Bumrah’s classic yorker into a full toss angle for himself — scooping it expertly over fine leg for a boundary. The next ball, Bumrah corrected his line, aiming wider. But Iyer was ready again — this time he opened the bat face and used the pace to guide the ball past backward point for another four.

These back-to-back shots didn’t just rattle Bumrah, they turned the momentum of the match entirely in PBKS's favor. The pressure, so often applied by Bumrah on opposition batters, had now been reversed 

After the game, Iyer addressed the press and explained that his approach was both studied and instinctive. “You have to respect Bumrah. He’s the best in the world at what he does,” Iyer said. “But sometimes, the best way to counter a weapon is to mirror it — and that’s what I tried. I knew he’d try to nail those yorkers, so I worked on turning them into scoring opportunities instead of letting them dominate me.”

Analysts and former cricketers praised Iyer’s mental toughness and cricketing intelligence. “That was a captain’s innings in every sense,” said former India coach Ravi Shastri. “Not just the runs — but the way he read Bumrah, played his strength against him, and guided his team into the final. 

Thanks to Iyer’s unbeaten 62 off 44 balls and his composure during the most challenging overs, Punjab Kings sealed a four-wicket victory and marched into their maiden IPL final — a historic achievement for the franchise.

While Jasprit Bumrah remained the tournament's standout bowler with an economy under 6, the one time he was outwitted — by a batsman reversing his own method — became the defining moment of PBKS's campaign.

As Punjab prepares to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025 final, Iyer’s ability to outthink one of the game’s greatest bowlers has not only etched this victory into tournament lore but also positioned him as one of the smartest tacticians in the league.