Last Updated on 12 months ago by Charbel Coorey
Just days after failing to defend 245 in Hyderabad, Punjab Kings (PBKS) successfully defended the lowest total in IPL history – 111, bundling Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) out for 95 for an unbelievable win.
A year ago, PBKS pulled off the highest successful chase against KKR. Quite the contrast.
You would have been forgiven for switching over to watch something else at the innings break when PBKS were bowled out so cheaply. You would have been forgiven even more at the end of the KKR powerplay, where they were sitting pretty at 56/2.
With Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi going solidly, KKR had sights on a big net run rate boost. In the blink of an eye, they were relying on Andre Russell just to get them the victory. Led superbly by Shreyas Iyer, PBKS kept at it, smelling more blood in the water as each KKR wicket fell.
KKR would no doubt be kicking themselves for throwing away two points, but PBKS are to be commended. They could have easily gone through the motions and put the blame on their disappointing batting performance. However, on a surface offering spin and some uneven bounce, PBKS knew that one wicket could bring a cluster.
“We actually said to the guys at the halfway mark really small chases like this are sometimes the hardest,” said PBKS coach Ricky Ponting after the match, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “The wicket wasn’t easy. You can see that right through the game was definitely holding up.”
Yuzvendra Chahal, who has had an under-par IPL to date by his lofty standards, was the star with the ball. His four wickets swung the game in PBKS’ favour. The legspinner had the ball on a string, turning it off the pitch after getting the ball to drop beautifully. Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh in particular were done by Chahal’s revolutions.
Incredibly, Chahal had to pass a fitness test on his shoulder to play. “He had a fitness test before the game today with his shoulder injury that he picked up in his last game and I grabbed him at the warm-up, looked him in the eye and said, ‘mate, are you OK?’ He said, ‘Coach, I’m 100% alright, let me out there,’ and what a spell of bowling,” said Ponting.
Reactions: PBKS defend 111, sparking great scenes in Mullanpur
Shreyas Iyer and Yuzvendra Chahal were the main subjects of praise from fans following an incredible victory. This kind of victory can define a season, and who knows how far PBKS can go. This could very well be their time.
“We just said that wins like this are always the sweetest one if we can pull this off, then this would be as good as a win most guys have probably been involved in. I’ve coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win that I’ve ever had.”
KKR were also criticised for their capitulation. They collapsed from 62/2 in the eighth over to 95 all-out in the 16th.
USA cricketer Aaron Jones enjoyed the match, as did millions of others. Here are some of the reactions to PBKS defending 111 against KKR, including Harsha Bhogle’s praise for Yuzvendra Chahal. “One of the greats of the IPL has shown his class. @yuzi_chahal. Wow!!,” he wrote.
