IPL 2025: PBKS Stuns KKR with Record-Low IPL Defense

Nobody saw this coming. Punjab Kings were down and out, bowled out for just 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Chandigarh. Most fans probably thought KKR would chase it down before dinner. But on April 15, 2025, PBKS’s bowlers turned a hopeless score into IPL history, defending the lowest total ever in the league; beating a record that stood for 16 years. It’s the kind of night that reminds you why T20 cricket can still surprise you.

See, 111 is tiny in today’s IPL, where guys like Abhishek Sharma are smashing 141 off 55 balls. PBKS got off to a flyer with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya cracking 39 in three overs, but KKR’s bowlers, led by Harshit Rana, slammed the brakes, bowling them out in 15.3 overs. Everyone figured KKR’s big guns; Andre Russell, Rinku Singh; would make it a cakewalk. Instead, Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web, grabbing 4 wickets for 28, while Marco Jansen’s pace ripped through the top. KKR crumbled to 95 all-out, losing by 16 runs on a pitch that bounced like it had a mind of its own.

Lowest Totals Defended in IPL History

Score	Team	Opponent	Venue, Year
111	PBKS	KKR	Mullanpur, 2025
116/9	CSK	PBKS	Durban, 2009
118	SRH	MI	Mumbai WS, 2018
119/8	PBKS	MI	Durban, 2009
119/8	SRH	PWI	Pune, 2013

Before this, Chennai Super Kings held the record, defending 116 against PBKS way back in 2009 in South Africa. That was a thriller too; CSK’s bowlers, under MS Dhoni, choked PBKS to 92/8. But PBKS’s 111 takes the crown now, proving you don’t need a big score to win if your bowlers bring their A-game. It’s a nod to the old days when low-scoring games were nail-biters, not run-fests like CSK’s chase of 167 against LSG the night before. Can PBKS keep this fire going? That’s the big question.

                                               

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