Kings of crisis: Punjab ride internal storm to IPL 2025 top spot

Dubai: They can’t agree in the boardroom, but on the pitch, Punjab are getting everything right.

Even as a courtroom clash brews between Preity Zinta and her fellow co-owners, the Kings marched to their ninth win in 14 games, sealing a seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in Jaipur on Monday to finish top of the IPL Season 18 table.

Chasing an under-par target, Punjab pulled off a shrewd tactical move by promoting Josh Inglis to No. 3. The Australian responded with a fluent 109-run stand off just 59 balls alongside Priyansh Arya to seal the chase in 18.3 overs.

Inglis, who scored 73, was quick to praise Arya’s poise at the crease. The 21-year-old struck a commanding 62 off 35 balls, full of elegant strokes through the off side, showing the composure of a seasoned pro.

“The left-right partnership really helped with the short boundary, and it was about playing smart cricket,” Inglis said after the match. “Didn’t want to let things slip in the middle overs. It would have been nice if one of us had stayed till the end. I don’t have to say much to him. It was nice batting with him. He was picking his match-ups and balls.”

As for stepping into captain Shreyas Iyer’s usual position, Inglis added cheekily: “I don’t think he’s too happy, but I certainly am.”

The win lifted Punjab to 19 points, ensuring a top-two finish. Even if Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their final league fixture and match Punjab on points, net run rate will determine the order — but Punjab are assured of a place in Qualifier 1.

Mumbai, meanwhile, will head into the Eliminator. The five-time champions are set to face either Gujarat Titans or Bengaluru in Chandigarh on Friday.

Mumbai skipper Hardik Pandya admitted his team were at least 20 runs short.

“The way the wicket played, we were 20 runs short. We’ve been playing good cricket but didn’t tonight, and that cost us. If you take the foot off the accelerator, other teams take over,” he said.

“The message would be simple: this is a small blip, learn from it and look forward to the knockout. Our bowling wasn’t clinical — they played good shots as well. Just want to play good cricket going forward, figure out the right template for the batting group. Not much panic though. Nothing changes from the situation four days ago.”

While the team celebrated on the pitch, serious discord unfolded behind the scenes. Punjab Kings co-owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta has filed a legal case against fellow directors Mohit Burman and Ness Wadia in a Chandigarh court.

According to media reports, Zinta has challenged the legality of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 21, alleging that it violated procedures under the Companies Act, 2013, and other secretarial rules. She claims to have objected to the meeting in an email on April 10, but her concerns were ignored.

Despite attending the meeting along with director Karan Paul, Zinta has asked the court to declare the EGM invalid. A key point of contention is the appointment of Muneesh Khanna as a director — a move she and Paul opposed. Her petition also seeks to prevent Khanna from acting as a director and to block the implementation of any decisions taken at the EGM.

For now, though, the cricket takes centre stage. With their place in Qualifier 1 secured and key players peaking at the right time, Punjab Kings have made a strong case to finally break their title drought.