Punjab Kings created history as they defended the lowest target in the history of the Indian Premier League. PBKS defended 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh. Here are the 3 lowest totals defended in IPL.
Punjab Kings pulled off a heist against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League 2025. Led by sensational performance from Yuzvendra Chahal, PBKS defended the lowest total in the history of IPL (excluding rain-curtailed matches).
Chahal produced a breathtaking spell of 4/28 as he turned the tide towards his team in the 111-run defence at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh. He helped PBKS bowl KKR out for 95 in 15.1 overs, with Marco Jansen also taking three wickets, including the final one of Andre Russell.
KKR were cruising well in the chase and were at 62/2 at one stage before Chahal got Ajinkya Rahane out LBW (the impact was outside off and Rahane would have survived had he reviewed that) in the first over. He was making the ball do wonders and took apart Angkrish Raghuvanshi in his next over. Chahal’s back-to-back wickets of Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh put the game in Punjab’s favour before Jansen and Arshdeep Singh wrapped it up.
3 lowest totals defended in IPL history
This is now the lowest total defended in IPL history. The previous lowest score defended in a full 20-over game was 116 by Chennai Super Kings against Punjab Kings (then known as Kings XI Punjab) in 2009.
Chennai defended 116 against Punjab at Durban in 2009, the year in which the Indian cash-rich league took place in South Africa. Four CSK bowlers – Ravichandran Ashwin, Muthiah Muralidaran, Thilan Thushara and Suresh Raina – took two wickets each as CSK restricted Punjab to 92/8.
The now third-lowest total defended in IPL belongs to Sunrisers Hyderabad, who defended 118 against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai in 2018. SRH were bowled out for 118 with captain Kane Williamson and Yusuf Pathan making 29 each. Their bowlers starred in the second innings. Siddarth Kaul picked up three wickets for 23 in his four overs, while Rashid Khan and Basil Thampi also struck twice each. Sandeep Sharma and Mohammad Nabi got a wicket each as all six bowlers used by SRH struck at least once. MI were bowled out for 87, with Suryakumar Yadav being the highest scorer for his 34.
Lowest totals defended in IPL ever (excludes rain-curtailed games):
111 – PBKS vs KKR, Mullanpur, 2025
116/9 – CSK vs PBKS, Durban, 2009
118 – SRH vs MI, Mumbai WS, 2018
119/8 – PBKS vs MI, Durban, 2009
119/8 – SRH vs PWI, Pune, 2013
