New Delhi: Punjab Kings (PBKS) defended the lowest total in Indian Premier League (IPL) history Tuesday, guarding a meagre 111 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Yuzvendra Chahal’s spin wizardry, with figures of 4/28, combined with Marco Jansen’s three wickets, sealed a 16-run victory for PBKS at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
The previous record for the lowest total defended in the IPL was held by Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who defended 116 runs against Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) during the 2009 season in Durban.
Other notable low totals successfully defended include Sunrisers Hyderabad defending 118 runs against Mumbai Indians in 2018, Kings XI Punjab defending 119 against Mumbai Indians in 2009 and Sunrisers Hyderabad defending 119 runs against Pune Warriors in 2013.
Seasoned broadcaster Harsha Bhogle took to X and termed Tuesday’s match “just simply, one of the greatest matches in the IPL”.
The match also registered the third-lowest match aggregate in IPL history, with a combined total of 206 runs scored by both teams. Match aggregate refers to the total runs scored in a match by both sides.
The lowest aggregate remains 180 runs from a 2017 game between KKR and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The second-lowest was 205 runs in 2018 between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The fourth-lowest aggregate is 314 runs, recorded in a 2024 match between Mumbai Indians and KKR—a significant 108 runs higher than Tuesday’s thriller.
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Chahal ‘turns’ the tide
Defending a paltry 111 runs, PBKS needed a special performance, and Chahal delivered exactly that. Introduced in the eighth over, captain Shreyas Iyer immediately showed faith by asking Chahal if he wanted a slip in place—signalling an aggressive approach with spin.
KKR’s win seemed within grasp after a 55-run partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, but they imploded, crashing to 79/8.
At 60 for 2, with Rahane and Raghuvanshi settled at the crease, Chahal’s impact proved decisive. His fourth ball trapped Rahane leg before wicket, and in his next over, Raghuvanshi edged to backward point, both dismissals breaking the backbone of KKR’s chase.
Chahal’s magic continued as he deceived Rinku Singh with a delivery that drifted away before sharply turning back in, resulting in a stumping. On the very next ball, Ramandeep Singh top-edged a paddle shot, and Iyer took a brilliant catch to further dent KKR’s hopes.
Chahal’s success was not just about wickets but his ability to read the conditions. The pitch was not flat; it held up, allowing him to toss up deliveries effectively. His average speed of 81 km/h, slower than his usual 90 km/h, worked to his advantage in the middle overs.
“I always have the mindset of how to get the batters out; I varied my pace, and if they have to hit, they will have to make an effort,” Chahal said, after his 4/28 performance that earned him Player of the Match award.
Indian veteran Krishnamachari Srikkanth also praised Chahal on X.
Incredible match! Its been the best so far this season! Serious battle of nerves loved the way @PunjabKingsIPL came back and amazing captaincy by @ShreyasIyer15 , hes got the skills to change a teams fortune! Lovely to see @yuzi_chahal bowl like the magician he can be! #PBKSvKKR
— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) April 15, 2025
Towering Proteas pacer Marco Jansen complemented the spin wizardry with figures of 3/17, while Arshdeep Singh chipped in with a late strike, dismissing Vaibhav Arora on a bouncer. Singh bowled a maiden and maintained an impressive economy of 3.67, ensuring the pressure never eased.
Iyer’s unique captaincy arc
The PBKS vs KKR fixture has now witnessed two contrasting records in consecutive years.
In 2024, PBKS registered the highest-ever run chase in IPL history, scoring 262 against KKR. This year, they defended the lowest total ever against the same opponent.
The similarity extends to the captaincy. In 2024, Shreyas Iyer captained KKR to the IPL title but suffered a crushing defeat against Punjab in that record chase. Now, Iyer leads PBKS, celebrating his fourth win of the season and guiding the Kings to fourth place on the points table.
This win was a statement for Iyer, who was released by KKR ahead of the IPL mega auction — a move that left many questioning the decision to let go of a title-winning skipper.
Speaking to The Times of India earlier this year, after playing a key role in India’s Champions Trophy win, Iyer said: “I personally felt I didn’t get the recognition I wanted after winning the IPL but at the end of the day, as long as you have self-integrity and you keep doing the right things when no one is watching, that is more important and that is what I kept doing.”
After Tuesday’s win against KKR, Iyer said at the post-match presentation: “It is hard to express in words. I was just backing my instincts. I saw the ball turn a bit, asked Yuzi to control his breathing a bit. We needed to be attacking, and the right players were in the right places.”
He further explained his tactical approach: “I wanted the fielders right in front of batters—to put the pressure on them.”
‘Best win’ of Ponting’s coaching career
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting, who has been coaching in the IPL since 2014, called Tuesday’s low-scoring thriller “just about the best win that I’ve ever had” in the tournament.
“The heart rate is still up a bit for me — it’s probably up over 200,” Ponting told broadcasters soon after the game. “I don’t need many of those games like that at my age of over 50 now.”
He reflected on the unpredictability of cricket: “It just goes to show how funny a game it is. Only three days ago, we couldn’t defend 246 (against Sunrisers Hyderabad), and here we are, defending 111 with 16 runs up our sleeve.”
Ponting also praised Chahal’s resilience despite a shoulder injury earlier in the week. “We actually put a bit of pressure on him during the week. He had a fitness test before the game today, and I grabbed him at the warm-up, looked him in the eye and said, ‘mate, are you OK?” he said.
“He (Chahal) said ‘coach, I’m 100 percent alright, let me out there’, and what a spell of bowling.”
“Wins like this are always the sweetest ones. If we can pull this off, then this would be as good as a win most guys have probably been involved in. I’ve coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win that I’ve ever had,” Ponting asserted.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)