Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings did the unthinkable, defending the lowest-ever total in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to beat defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 16 runs at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The hosts defended 111 runs as they bundled out KKR for 95 inside 16 overs to register a memorable win in front of a jam-packed crowd.
As soon as Marco Jansen took the final wicket of Andre Russell, the entire crowd erupted in jubilation to kickstart the celebrations. Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting was pumped up as he celebrated with the rest of the support staff and the non-playing squad members.
The reaction from the entire dugout showed the feat that Punjab Kings pulled off against KKR. Shreyas Iyer eventually had the last laugh against KKR after he was let go by the franchise despite winning the title with them last year.
Even PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta could not control her emotions after seeing her team pull off a heist against KKR in New Chandigarh.
KKR were 62/2 at one stage, but a colossal collapse paved the way for a memorable Punjab Kings win. The defending champions lost their final eight wickets for just 33 runs.
After the win, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting said, “This is the best win I have ever had in the IPL.”
Ricky Ponting became the PBKS coach before the IPL 2025 season. He was earlier the head coach of Delhi Capitals.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the standout performer for Punjab Kings. He returned with four wickets, taking the key scalps of Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh.
How did the match unfold
Earlier, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first. The hosts were bundled out for 111 as Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Sunil Narine took seven wickets between themselves.
Heading into the chase of 112, it was expected that KKR would chase the total down without any trouble. Had KKR chased the total down in 14 overs, they would have gone to the top of the table.
Ajinkya Rahane and Raghuvanshi were going about their business comfortably, scoring 55 runs for the third wicket. However, Chahal’s introduction into the attack changed the game, as he took four wickets quickly.
Finally, KKR’s hopes of winning relied heavily on Andre Russell. However, he lost his wicket off Marco Jansen’s bowling, and PBKS registered a memorable win.
