Shreyas Iyer faced the disappointment of another T20 final defeat, just days after his team fell short in the IPL 2025 championship. Leading the SoBo Mumbai Falcons in the first-ever T20 Mumbai League, Iyer’s squad was outperformed by the Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals at Wankhede Stadium on June 12.
This loss echoed the recent IPL 2025 final on June 3, where Iyer’s Punjab Kings were defeated by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Rajat Patidar. Despite a strong performance throughout the league, PBKS stumbled at the most crucial moment.
The final in Mumbai saw Iyer’s Falcons lag behind as they chased a target of 158. The South Central Maratha Royals reached their goal comfortably in just 19.2 overs, securing the championship.
India’s ODI captain, Rohit Sharma, attended the match as the league’s ambassador and was seen presenting the runners-up cheque to Iyer, who appeared visibly disappointed afterward. "It’s quite hectic. Losing really sticks in your mind," Iyer shared.
Despite the loss, the determined captain encouraged his teammates to take pride in their journey and learn from both the successes and setbacks throughout the season. "I don’t want to focus on any single moment. The team showed fantastic effort overall. We lost only one match leading up to the final. It’s one of those games where you can’t blame anyone specifically – it’s disappointing, and that’s not something I relish. There’s much to learn from this," he added.
"Feeling down after a final loss is normal. It’s tough for them, but when they return next year, they’ll have added motivation and confidence. They should be proud of what they achieved."
IYER AND ANGRIKSH FALL SHORT IN THE FINAL
After winning the toss, Mumbai South Central chose to bowl first and quickly dismissed opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi as well as Ishan Mulchandani during the powerplay. Angkrish managed only 7 runs off 12 balls, a disappointing performance in the big match.
Captain Shreyas Iyer entered the game at number three but struggled to find his rhythm, hitting a six and a boundary but ultimately falling short of consistency on a challenging Wankhede pitch.
The Falcons set a target of 157, thanks to a quick-fire 50 from Mayuresh Tandel off 32 balls and a rapid 45 off 28 from Harsh Aghav. Together, they added 85 runs for the fifth wicket.
For Mumbai South Central, Vaibhav Mali stood out with two wickets in his four overs.
In response, captain Siddesh Lad and opening partner Sahil Bhagwanta Jadhav initiated an aggressive chase, racking up 32 runs in just 2.5 overs. Although Siddesh scored 15 and Sahil added 22, their team soon found themselves at 42 for 2.
However, Chinmay Sutar’s steady knock of 53 off 49 balls, alongside a fiery 38 off 24 from Awais Naushad Khan, led Mumbai South Central to victory in 19.2 overs, claiming the trophy.
Published on June 13, 2025.
