Despite spending huge amounts at the auction table over the years, Punjab Kings didn’t get the results they wanted. After 11 years, PBKS qualify for Playoffs, marking their 3rd appearance in the top 4 in 18 seasons of the Indian Premier League. Going forward in the article, we will discuss what went right for PBKS in reaching the Playoffs after 11 years and what changes they made to top the standings.
From Day 1 to the playoffs, the Kings never stopped roaring! 🦁💪
⬅️ Swipe to relive our journey! pic.twitter.com/m2JzQSXK2H
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 29, 2025
PBKS Journey in IPL History
PBKS qualify for Playoffs for the first time since 2014, and their journey in IPL 2025 wasn’t a smooth one, as they had to do a lot of work to top the standings with 19 points. After retaining only two players, they had to start from scratch, and they were successful in the process.
𝑨𝒕𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒇𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒂! 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/mT60MKXPyM
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 2, 2025
They would want to extend the form further from changing the headlines from PBKS qualify for Playoffs to PBKS lifts their maiden IPL title, and they are one step away from achieving glory.
Punjab Made It to the Playoffs After 11 Years
Franchise roped in former Australian Ricky Ponting as their head coach, and with his immense guidance and on-spot decision making, PBKS achieved a great feat. He was the man behind bringing Shreyas Iyer into the setup, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to their 3rd title last season. Their camaraderie did wonders throughout the PBKS matches in IPL 2025. PBKS batting took a good shape with the inclusion of young blood and experienced campaigners.
The fight isn’t over! 💪 pic.twitter.com/Qqnb9g2Mm9
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 31, 2025
PBKS ended their long-lasting 11-year Playoffs drought this season. They started the IPL 2025 with a fresh approach under Shreyas Iyer, who inspired the team in getting the side this far. He trusted his players, and they all responded well. With 9 wins, 4 losses, and a no result, they topped the standings with 19 points.
𝐉𝐨𝐬𝐡 𝐧𝐞 𝐮𝐝𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐲𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐡!🔥 pic.twitter.com/gz5lcljohl
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 2, 2025
Key Modifications Leading to PBKS’s Success
Elevating the batting standards and restructuring their bowling has driven them this far. Prabhsimran Singh (523 runs) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (603 runs) led PBKS’ batting charts this season, and even the new inclusions Priyansh Arya (451 runs) and Nehal Wadhera (354 runs) delivered an exceptional show throughout.
The 𝘼𝘾𝙀 of chase! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/d3fTZO8i3m
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 2, 2025
New Captain Shreyas Iyer
The one area Punjab Kings lacked in the previous seasons was leadership qualities. They had 5 different captains in the past 4 seasons, but nobody was that aggressive that required this level to push the team. To bring the change, they bought the 2024 IPL-winning captaincy, Shreyas Iyer, into the mix for a humongous amount of 26.75 crore, making him the second costliest player in the history of IPL. His inclusion was a brilliant move by the franchise as they not only got the captain but also a high-quality batter.
Wins पचास ➡️ Captain झक्कास! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/bimMuuzrsO
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 2, 2025
The 30-year-old Mumbaikar had lost his central contract for disciplinary measures last year, and since then, he has been a different player altogether. Following a stellar domestic season, he earned his place back in the Indian team for ODIs and played a vital role in guiding the team to their 3rd Champions Trophy Title earlier this year in Dubai. PBKS batting strengthened further with the addition of Shreyas Iyer, who went full throttle in his first season for the franchise, scoring 603 runs at an average of 54.81. Interestingly, this was his best IPL season since his debut back in 2015.
Bowling Setup Changes
A complete overhaul in the bowling setup made the difference in PBKS matches in IPL 2025. They didn’t retain their pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh, but they bought him at the auction for a huge sum of Rs 18 Crore, and he did well, picking up 18 wickets. They had to pack their pace battery and did a great job at the auction by getting the services of Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Xavier Bartlett, and Vyshak Vijaykumar.
Ahmedabad di hawa vi hon vaali aa saade vall di! 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/WIKm2nexQU
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 1, 2025
Another significant move that made the headlines was bringing in seasoned spinner Yuzvendra Chahal into the side. The 34-year-old leg spinner repaid the faith, delivering a sensational performance including a hat-trick against the 5-time champions Chennai Super Kings.
What a catch from Arya! 🤌🏻 pic.twitter.com/PkQ4CuaTMA
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 1, 2025
Great Team Work
The combination of Head Coach Ricky Ponting and skipper Shreyas Iyer worked pretty well. The duo knew how to get the work done, particularly from the youngsters, including Priyansh Arya, Nehal Wadhera, and Prabhsimran Singh. Interestingly, all of them are uncapped, and keeping trust in them made the major difference.
In one of the PBKS matches in IPL 2025, they made another tactical move at the back end of the tournament by promoting Australian wicket-keeper batter Josh Inglis to the No.3 spot, and the 30-year-old responded well with crucial knocks of 30, 32, 73, and 38 in that position.
𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐛 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐏𝐋 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥!🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ehe6sR9YeF
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 1, 2025
Added Firepower to Finish the Matches
Previously, they had a shortage of finishers, but currently, they have plenty of them, including the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, and Azmatullah Omarzai. Stoinis had limited opportunity to showcase his talent, as he made 154 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 185.36.
🙏♥️ pic.twitter.com/GmzxRS5pPf
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 3, 2025
Shashank Singh, one of their two retentions, did what he was asked for, scoring 289 runs in 13 innings at an average of 41.28. While the Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai was benched for most of the matches and he wasn’t able to get the right opportunity and could only make 56 in 4 innings. It’s probably the first time their top 6 batters went on to surpass the 200-run mark. Two of them went past 500, while one crossed 400, and the other one made an excess of 300.
𝐏𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐛 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐏𝐋 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥!🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ehe6sR9YeF
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 1, 2025
Aiming for Maiden IPL Title
PBKS batting was again in focus as Skipper Shreyas Iyer’s brutal assault (87* from 41 balls) in the high-voltage Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians on Sunday steered PBKS home with 6 balls to spare as they successfully chased 203 with 5 wickets in hand. They will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the title clash on Tuesday, 3rd June.
We are 𝐑𝐄𝐃-y! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/zdhN1iSy16
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) June 2, 2025
After an 11-year drought, PBKS qualify for playoffs, and they must aim for their first title in their 2nd final. In most of the PBKS matches in IPL 2025, their batters have led from the front, and they are expecting a similar show one last time in the final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
