In just 1 year the Punjab Kings (PBKS) have gone from being the team to chase down the
highest target in IPL history to defending the lowest target in IPL history. In a match that will be
remembered as one of the most dramatic turnarounds in IPL history, the PBKS defended a
modest total of 111 to defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 16 runs on April 15, 2025, at
the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
Punjab’s Batting Woes
PBKS won the toss and opted to bat first. They faced early setbacks, with only Prabhsimran
Singh providing a brief spark scoring a quick 30 off 15 balls. KKR’s disciplined bowling was led
by Harshit Rana with figures of 3/25, while Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy claimed two
wickets each, restricting Punjab to 111 in 15.3 overs.
Amazing Bowling, Dismal Fielding and Review Blunders
Chasing a very get-able target, KKR lost Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock very early, leaving
them tottering at 7/2. On a pitch where the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat, KKR batsmen
played flamboyant and reckless shots instead of playing to the conditions. Despite a brief
recovery to 62/2, the innings unraveled dramatically, thanks to Yuzvendra Chahal’s masterful
spell of 4/28 who was amply supported by Marco Jansen’s with 3/17. They kept taking crucial
wickets in the middle overs, wherein KKR lost 8 wickets for just 33 runs. KKR, not able to
recover from this, collapsed to 95 all out.
The PBKS almost lost the match due to their dismal fielding display, the most embarrassing of
which was a slip up by Xavier Bartlett, who let the ball slip from his hand while throwing it back,
letting it cross the boundary. KKR were gifted with 5 overthrows!
Many believe that the game changing moment was when Ajinkya Rahane in an attempt to save
reviews, failed to take a review on his LBW, which turned out to be outside the off stump in the
replays.
Post-Match Reactions
Punjab’s head coach Ricky Ponting expressed immense pride in the team’s performance,
stating, “I couldn’t have been prouder of the way we went about in the second half… I’ve
coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win I’ve ever had.” He
jokingly added “I’m 50 years now and don’t need more games like this”
This victory has propelled PBKS to fourth place in the standings with four wins from six
matches, while KKR drops to sixth, having lost four of their seven games.
