Where Punjab Kings win over KKR ranks on the list of 9 lowest IPL scores defended

Tuesday night saw the Punjab Kings pull off a remarkable feat as they defended a woefully under-par score of 111 to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in a game that claimed the 42nd lowest aggregate score of all time in an IPL game. Many of the games that make up that all-time low aggregate scores list are there because the team that batted first failed miserably, leaving the team that batted second with not much to chase. It’s much rarer for low aggregate games to feature a first innings total that was defended.

So, on the back of the Punjab Kings’ victory, which was secured by sensational spells from Yuzvendra Chahal (four for 28) and Marco Jansen (three for 17), let’s take a look to see how their effort ranks on the list of lowest scores defended in the IPL. We won’t tell you where they feature just yet, but it’s safe to say that of the nine lowest scores defended, four of them were by PBKS — they’re quite good at it.

9. Punjab Kings defend 125 for 7 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2021)

Played in Sharjah, this match was a masterclass in slow pitch defense. Punjab Kings put up a modest 125, with Aiden Markram’s 27 being the highest score. It looked insufficient, but disciplined bowling led by Ravi Bishnoi (3/24) and Mohammed Shami (2/14) meant SRH never really got going. They ended on 120/7, giving PBKS a win by five runs and reminding everyone that T20s aren’t always about big totals. Quite remarkably, this defence saw Hyderabad run out of time and not wickets – when the game came to an end, West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder was at the crease, undefeated on 47 from 29 balls.

8. Mumbai Indians defend 120 for 9 vs Pune Warriors (2012)

A forgotten thriller from an IPL edition long gone, this game saw Mumbai Indians set a target of just 121. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was the MI top scorer with a knock of 34 while there were also contributions from James Franklin and Dinesh Karthik. The MI bowlers – led by Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh – defended the score fiercely. Pune crumbled under pressure and could only muster 119, falling short by one run in a game that exemplified MI’s early reputation for pulling off scrappy wins. The final over saw Pune needing 12 to win and 11 for a super over was bowled by Munaf Patel. It went for 10 (including a wide) as MI hung on for the narrowest of wins.

7. Sunrisers Hyderabad defend 119 for 8 vs Pune Warriors (2013)

Another Pune Warriors heartbreak, this time at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH’s 119, carried by one-season-wonder Biplab Samantray’s 37. It was a total that was below par, especially against a Pune lineup that included Steve Smith, Aaron Finch, Robin Uthappa, Mitch Marsh, and Angelo Matthews. But a devastating spell from Amit Mishra (4/19), which included a hat-trick, turned the match on its head. The Warriors were bowled out for just 108, handing SRH an unlikely 11-run win and helping establish the franchise’s long-standing reputation for defending tiny targets.

6. Punjab Kings defend 119 for 8 vs Mumbai Indians (2009)

Back in the South African edition of the IPL, PBKS managed to grind their way to 119 on a difficult Durban surface. Kumar Sangakkara’s 45 was key in helping them post a total with some fight to it. In reply, MI’s chase never gained traction. Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Abdulla, and Ramesh Powar kept the pressure tight with only Proteas’ batsman JP Duminy really getting going as he made a well-played 59. MI were strangled for 116, handing Punjab a nail-biting three-run victory – the first of many low-score defences in their history.

5. Sunrisers Hyderabad defend 118 all out vs Mumbai Indians (2018)

This game was a bowler’s dream. Batting first SRH struggled from the outset with Kane Williamson and Yusuf Pathan joint top scorers with knocks of 29 as they made their way to a score of 118. Mumbai, chasing a small target at home, were left stunned by a clinical SRH bowling performance. Rashid Khan (2/11) and Siddarth Kaul (3/23) triggered a collapse that saw MI bundled out for 87 and handing SRH what on paper appeared to be the simplest of 31-run wins, but what in reality was one of the great IPL bowling efforts.

4. Chennai Super Kings defend 116 for 9 vs Punjab Kings (2009)

Held in Durban, this was a classic case of CSK clawing their way back from the brink. Batting first, they could only post 116, with Parthiv Patel (30) and Suresh Raina (20) top-scoring on a difficult pitch. But Muttiah Muralitharan (2/8), Ravi Ashwin (2/13,) and Raina (2/17) bowled with guile, stifling PBKS to 92/8 in their 20 overs. It was one of those early IPL encounters that showed Dhoni’s leadership and CSK’s ability to win ugly.

3. Punjab Kings defend 111 all out vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2025)

This week’s result enters the pantheon of IPL low-score defences. In a season where batting has generally dominated, PBKS crumbled to 111 all out after being put in by KKR. But what followed was breathtaking. Chahal and Jansen bowled with venom and variation to strangle KKR’s chase. The target was small, but the pressure built relentlessly. KKR folded for just 95 – a testament to PBKS’s bowling discipline and mental strength. This was the lowest defence of a score in a non-rain affected game. The games in positions one and two on this list were both shortened by rain.

2. Punjab Kings defend 106 for 6 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2015)

In a rain-shortened game at Mohali, PBKS were forced into a 10-over shootout against RCB. They made only 106/6 despite Wriddhiman Saha’s 31. RCB, packed with firepower, boasted a top three who probably couldn’t play in a fantasy team together due to budgetary constraints (Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers) were expected to cruise. But Axar Patel (2/11) and Beuran Hendricks (1/9) had other ideas. Bowling with control and variation, they restricted RCB to just 84/6. A 22-run win in a 10-over game, this was one of the most unlikely defences in T20 cricket and showed how tight bowling can nullify even the strongest line-ups.

1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru defend 106 for 2 vs Chennai Super Kings (2013)

The gold standard for low-score defences. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, RCB managed only 106/2 from 8 overs in another rain-affected encounter. Kohli led the way with a brutal and undefeated 56 runs from 29 balls while Chris Gayle weighed in with 28 from 13. In reply, CSK, with a stacked batting line-up of their own, struggled as Zaheer Khan found his areas immediately to take four for 17 in his two over spell. Ravi Rampaul added one for 20 to restrict Dhoni and company to just 82/6. It was a 24-run victory in just eight overs — the lowest score successfully defended in IPL history (adjusted for overs).