IPL: Punjab Kings Pull Off Historic Win Against Kolkata Knight Riders

Punjab Kings create history by defending lowest total in IPL, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs. Read more about the match highlights and expert analysis.

Punjab Kings made history by successfully defending the lowest total in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs. Punjab coach Ricky Ponting said, “The heart rate still up a bit for me. It's probably up over 200. I don't need many of those games like that at my age of over 50 now. Just goes to show how funny a game it is.”

Punjab's bowlers, led by Yuzvendra Chahal (4-28) and Marco Jansen (3-17), restricted Kolkata to 95 runs in 15.1 overs. Ponting added, “It was only three days ago we couldn't defend 246 (against Sunrisers Hyderabad) and here we are, you know, defending 112 with 16 runs up our sleeves.” He expressed pride in his team's performance, saying, “I couldn't have been prouder of the way we went about in the second half. I mean our batting was poor... I actually thought that that was a season-defining moment, and it might be now as well.”

Punjab Kings Defended The Lowest Total In IPL History, They Beat Kolkata Knight Riders By 16 Runs.#PBKSvsKKR pic.twitter.com/LvcdaTFXYa

— Cricket Clue (@cricketclue247) April 15, 2025

Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting praised the team's historic win, saying, “I reckon at the halfway mark there weren't too many people around the world who would have thought we could have defended that, and we have... I've coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win I've ever had.”

Punjab had a poor batting display, scoring only 111 in 15.3 overs, with Prabhsimran Singh top-scoring with 30 off 15 deliveries. Harshit Rana (3-25) controlled the run flow for Kolkata, while Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy picked two wickets each.

Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer said, “It is tough to talk right now and such wins make it special... There was variable bounce in the wicket, we got a decent total to be honest, looking at the win of 16 runs.” Iyer added, “The bounce was not consistent. We had this at the back of our mind and we asked the bowlers to keep this in mind. And they executed it.”