Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) found it difficult to chase down 112, as hosts Punjab Kings (PBKS) successfully defended the lowest total in IPL history. A wild wicket fest resulted from both PBKS and KKR’s subpar batting performances. Bowlers from PBKS and KKR, including Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Marco Jansen, had an amazing day with the ball.
After winning the toss, Shreyas Iyer chose to bat first. At 39/0 after 3.1 overs, PBKS had a strong start to their innings. They had a strong start thanks to Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya. But Arya’s wicket signalled the start of an incredible collapse. PBKS fell from 39/0 to 111, losing all ten of their wickets for an only 72 runs.
Harshit, who collected 3/25 in his three overs, was the best bowler. Narine claimed 2/14, while Chakravarthy claimed 2/21. Prabhsimran Singh was the top batsman for PBKS, with 30 runs (15). The three-time winners’ nightmare against the 2014 runners-up was a target of 112, which meant that it had to be a regulation chase.
KKR’s innings was stabilised by Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, despite the fact that they did lose their openers early. After nine overs, they were ahead 72/3 in the run chase. KKR then lost seven wickets for twenty-three runs. The main wrecker, Yuzvendra Chahal, took 4/28 in his 4 overs. With his final score of 3/17, Marco Jansen helped PBKS defeat KKR by 16 runs.
Key Moments from PBKS vs KKR, Match 31 of IPL 2025
1. Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh’s unique partnership
KKR bowled well right from the word go. While PBKS was off to a flyer with 39/0 after 3.1 overs, KKR returned to the game, thanks to a unique partnership between Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh. The bowler-fielder combination worked well for KKR.
Rana drew the first blood as he dismissed Arya. He then got rid of Shreyas Iyer in the same over to claim the second wicket of the overs. Ramandeep claimed a sensational catch to dismiss Iyer. Later in the match, the duo dismissed Prabhsimran, which led to three wickets off Harshit’s bowling with Ramandeep as the fielder.
Watch Shreyas Iyer’s dismissal here:
Massive moment!
Harshit Rana strikes again and sends the PBKS captain, Shreyas Iyer, back!
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2. KKR dismiss PBKS for just 111
KKR bowled well as a unit and dismissed KKR for a total of just 111 runs. Apart from Harshit’s opening spell, the spin duo of Chakravarthy and Narine came good for the defending champions. The duo claimed 2/21 and 2/14 in their spells of 4 and 3 overs, respectively.
Pacers like Vaibhav Arora and Anrich Nortje claimed a wicket each. The last wicket fell in the form of a run out, as KKR did a brilliant job to restrict PBKS to 111. Arya and Prabhsimran batted well for PBKS at the top. Shashank Singh and Xavier Bartlett gave a handy contribution towards the end.
Watch Glenn Maxwell’s dismissal here –
Varun Chakaravarthy, with a touch of magic, completely deceives Maxwell!
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3. PBKS successfully defend the lowest total in IPL history
PBKS bowled extremely well to defend a low total. A spirited bowling effort from the entire bowling unit helped PBKS to defend the lowest total in the league’s history successfully. PBKS had KKR at 7/2 after 1.2 overs. But KKR momentarily recovered, thanks to the partnership between Rahane and Raghuvanshi.
The wicket of the young batter led to the beginning of a collapse. Rahane’s dismissal started the ultimate downfall of the visiting side. From 72/3 after 9 overs, KKR was dismissed for 95 runs. Chahal and Jansen claimed 4/28 and 3/17, respectively, as the home side became a part of the IPL history.
Watch the winning moment here –
A match for the ages!
PBKS hold their nerve and defend a mere 111 in a jaw-dropping thriller!
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