T20 cricket is no stranger to high-scoring games. But the thrill the low-scoring games provide can’t be matched by those mighty totals.
And the Indian Premier League (IPL) has given us many such games where bowlers dictated the terms, for a change!
Here we’ll read about the top five instances when teams defended the lowest totals in the IPL.
5. 119/8 by Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2013
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 126-run defence against Pune Warriors was still fresh, and they pulled another low-scoring thriller against the same opposition. This time, they defended a score even lower than that.
After being put in to bat first, SRH managed to score 119, which looked easy to chase for Pune for most of their innings. But Amit Mishra’s 19th over turned the game in SRH’s favour.
He picked up four wickets, which even included a hat-trick, his third in the IPL, to send Pune packing on 108 runs.
4. 119/8 by Kings XI Punjab | 2009
We have another 119 for 8 on the list. And this one belongs to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).
This one is straight back from 2009, when the IPL took place in South Africa. Punjab batted first and mustered 119 for 8 in their 20 overs.
In response, Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered three losses in the powerplay, which put pressure on the upcoming batters. JP Duminy tried to keep MI in the game with his 59-run knock, but he couldn’t take them over the ropes. In the end, MI lost the game by three runs.
Also Read | List: Batters Who Carried their Bat in a T20I Innings
3. 118/10 by Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2018
SRH pulled off another below-120-run defence in the IPL. MI were yet again on the opposite side.
MI’s bowlers never let loose to wrap up SRH’s innings on 118. This should have been a cakewalk for MI in their familiar home conditions at the Wankhede Stadium.
But SRH’s bowlers turned the heat on them. Suryakumar Yadav and Krunal Pandya tried to keep MI afloat after being 21 for 3, but once their stand broke up on 61, SRH sniffed a chance.
Then Rashid Khan spun his web from one end, while Siddharth Kaul got the better of MI batters with his tight line and lengths. This helped SRH restrict MI to 87 to win the game by 31 runs.
2. 116/9 by Chennai Super Kings | 2009
After their 119-run defence, Punjab found themselves in yet another low-scoring game within a few weeks. But this time, they were on the receiving end.
While Punjab’s bowlers did a fantastic job to restrict Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to 116 runs, the batters couldn’t do the same. On a slow Durban surface, Punjab’s batters struggled to lead the spin trio of Muttiah Muralitharan, R. Ashwin, and Suresh Raina.
The three spinners shared six wickets between them to keep Punjab away from the target by 24 runs.
1. 111/10 by Punjab Kings | 2025
Fast forward to 2025, and Punjab ended up on the other side to steal the top spot. They broke CSK’s 16-year-old record!
Few would have given Punjab Kings a chance to fancy a win with 111 runs to defend on the board. But the Shreyas Iyer-led men pulled off a stunner.
Most of their batters didn’t click against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But their bowlers put up a fine display.
After two early setbacks, KKR seemed to be the favourites at 62 for 2. But Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket opened the doors for PBKS to sneak in. And they didn’t let the chance go to waste.
Although Andre Russell tried to play spoilsport, his dismissal at the start of the 16th over sealed the deal for PBKS. They went home with 16 runs in their pocket.
Read Next | The 5 Fastest Centuries in Test Cricket
