Kolkata Knight Riders faced Punjab Kings on April 15, 2025, at Mohali in a historic thriller. Punjab Kings defended just 111 runs – the lowest successful defense in IPL history.
KKR collapsed from 72/3 to 95 all out in 15.1 overs. Yuzvendra Chahal took 4/28 while Marco Jansen sealed the win with the final wicket.
This remarkable victory shocked the cricket world. KKR needed just 40 runs with 7 wickets in hand but lost everything in a dramatic collapse.
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings timeline features 31 matches since 2008. KKR leads 19-12 overall.
Their battles have produced IPL’s highest chase (262/2 by PBKS in 2024) and now the lowest successful defense.
Latest Match Scorecard: April 15, 2025
| Team | Runs/Wickets | Overs | Result |
| PBKS | 111 all out | 15.3 | Won by 16 runs |
| KKR | 95 all out | 15.1 | Lost (historic collapse) |
- Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
- Toss: KKR won, elected to bowl first
- Player of the Match: Yuzvendra Chahal (4/28)
- Historic Record: Lowest total successfully defended in IPL
PBKS Innings: Collapse to 111
Punjab’s batting crumbled against KKR’s pace attack. Harshit Rana took 3/25 while Sunil Narine grabbed 2/14.
Prabhsimran Singh top-scored with 30 off 15 balls. He hit 3 fours and 3 sixes before falling to Rana.
Priyansh Arya contributed 22 off 12 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes. The rest of the batting lineup collapsed dramatically.
PBKS lost their last 7 wickets for just 44 runs. They were bowled out in 15.3 overs – their third-lowest IPL total ever.
Nobody expected them to defend this tiny total on a flat Mohali pitch.
PBKS Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Prabhsimran Singh (wk) | 30 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 200.00 |
| Priyansh Arya | 22 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 183.33 |
| Liam Livingstone | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 71.42 |
| Jonny Bairstow | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 118.18 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 116.66 |
| Josh Inglis | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 112.50 |
| Marco Jansen | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 150.00 |
| Xavier Bartlett | 3* | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
- Fall of Wickets: 53/1, 60/2, 70/3, 74/4, 85/5, 97/6, 103/7, 111/10
KKR Bowling Dominance
| Bowler | Overs | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | Econ |
| Harshit Rana | 3 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 8.33 |
| Sunil Narine | 3 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 4.66 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 7.66 |
| Vaibhav Arora | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 7.00 |
| Andre Russell | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 6.33 |
Narine’s economy of 4.66 was exceptional. His wickets of both openers set up KKR’s dominance.
KKR Chase: Shocking Collapse from 72/3
KKR started confidently needing just 112 runs to win. The chase looked straightforward on paper.
Disastrous Start (Overs 1-2): 7/2
Sunil Narine (5 off 4 balls) was bowled by Marco Jansen in the first over. KKR were 7/1.
Quinton de Kock (0 off 2 balls) edged Xavier Bartlett to keeper Josh Inglis next over. KKR were 7/2 after 1.2 overs.
The pitch offered uneven bounce. Balls were either shooting low or kicking up unexpectedly.
Recovery Phase (Overs 3-10): 65 runs, 1 wicket
Ajinkya Rahane (17 off 17 balls) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (37 off 28 balls) steadied the innings.
They added 55 runs for the 3rd wicket. KKR reached 62/2 in 7.4 overs, needing just 50 runs from 74 balls.
Victory seemed certain. Raghuvanshi looked fluent, hitting 5 fours and 1 six.
But Yuzvendra Chahal struck! He dismissed Rahane caught for 17, attempting a slog sweep. KKR were 62/3.
The Historic Collapse (Overs 10-15): 10 wickets for 23 runs
What followed was cricket’s most dramatic collapse.
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- Over 9.1: Chahal bowled Raghuvanshi for 37. KKR 72/4.
- Over 10.4: Glenn Maxwell trapped Venkatesh Iyer (7) lbw. KKR 74/5.
- Over 12.4: Chahal stumped Rinku Singh (2) brilliantly. KKR 77/6.
- Over 13.2: Harshit Rana (6) was caught at point off Arshdeep Singh. KKR 82/7.
- Over 14.1: Quinton de Kock ran out Varun Chakravarthy (4). KKR 88/8.
- Over 14.6: Chahal clean bowled Vaibhav Arora (1). KKR 90/9.
- Over 15.1: Marco Jansen bowled Andre Russell (17) through an inside edge. KKR 95 all out.
Seven wickets fell for just 23 runs in 36 balls. An unbelievable collapse that created IPL history.
KKR Batting Scorecard
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Sunil Narine | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Quinton de Kock (wk) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ajinkya Rahane (c) | 17 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Angkrish Raghuvanshi | 37 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 132.14 |
| Venkatesh Iyer | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 175.00 |
| Rinku Singh | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 22.22 |
| Andre Russell | 17 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 154.54 |
| Harshit Rana | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Vaibhav Arora | 1* | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
- Fall of Wickets: 7/1 (1.0), 7/2 (1.2), 62/3 (7.4), 72/4 (9.1), 74/5 (10.4), 77/6 (12.4), 82/7 (13.2), 88/8 (14.1), 90/9 (14.6), 95/10 (15.1)
PBKS Bowling Heroics
| Bowler | Overs | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | Econ |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 4 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 7.00 |
| Marco Jansen | 3.1 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 7.89 |
| Xavier Bartlett | 3 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 4.66 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 3.66 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2.50 |
Chahal’s 4-wicket haul in pressure moments turned the game completely. Maxwell’s economy of 2.50 choked KKR’s run flow.
Head-to-Head: Complete Stats
- Total Matches: 31
- KKR Wins: 19
- PBKS Wins: 12
- KKR Win %: 61.29%
- At Eden Gardens: KKR 9 wins, PBKS 3 wins
- At Mohali/Chandigarh: PBKS 7 wins, KKR 5 wins
- Highest Chase: PBKS 262/2 (2024)
- Lowest Defense: PBKS 111 (2025)
Memorable Matches: IPL History
2014: IPL Final Thriller
KKR won by 3 wickets at Bengaluru. Chasing 200, Manish Pandey scored 94 off 50 balls to seal KKR’s second title.
Glenn Maxwell’s 95 off 43 balls powered KXIP to 199/4. But KKR chased it down with 3 balls remaining.
2018: Super Over Drama
KKR won the Super Over 4-1. Regulation match was tied at 174-174 in Kolkata.
Chris Lynn scored 74 for KKR while KL Rahul made 60 for KXIP. Super Over sealed by KKR.
2021: Rahul’s Masterclass
PBKS won by 5 wickets at Ahmedabad. KL Rahul scored 67 off 55 balls to chase 166.
Deepak Hooda’s unbeaten 64 off 28 balls (6 sixes) guided Punjab home with 2 overs remaining.
2023: Russell’s Power
KKR won by 5 wickets at Mohali. Andre Russell smashed 42 off 23 balls (1 four, 4 sixes).
Chasing 180, KKR reached 182/5 in 19.2 overs. Rinku Singh contributed 35 off 25 balls.
2024: Highest IPL Chase
PBKS chased 262 in 18.4 overs – IPL’s highest successful chase. At Eden Gardens, KKR posted 261/6.
Jonny Bairstow (108 off 48 balls) led PBKS to 262/2. He hit 8 fours and 9 sixes in an incredible innings.
Prabhsimran Singh scored 54 off 20 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes). Shashank Singh remained 68* off 28 balls.
2025 Match 44: Rain Washout
Match abandoned at Eden Gardens on April 26, 2025. PBKS scored 201/4 in 20 overs before rain arrived.
KKR faced just 1 over (7/0) before persistent rain forced abandonment. Both teams shared 1 point each.
2025 Match 31: Historic Defense
The match detailed above where PBKS defended 111 – the lowest in IPL history.
Key Player Stats
Andre Russell vs PBKS:
- 486 runs at strike rate 178.68
- 24 wickets at economy 9.12
- Multiple match-winning performances
Sunil Narine vs PBKS:
- 31 wickets at economy 6.54
- 402 runs at strike rate 185.25
- Career-best 4/13 in 2020
KL Rahul vs KKR (when at PBKS):
- 542 runs at average 38.71
- 3 half-centuries
- Strike rate: 132.52
Yuzvendra Chahal vs KKR:
- 18 wickets in 8 matches
- Career-best 4/28 (2025)
- Economy: 7.89
FAQs
What is the lowest successful defense in IPL history?
Punjab Kings’ 111 all out on April 15, 2025, against KKR at Mohali. They bowled out KKR for 95 to win by 16 runs. Yuzvendra Chahal took 4/28 while Marco Jansen sealed the win.
What is the highest chase in IPL?
Punjab Kings chased 262 runs against KKR on April 26, 2024, at Eden Gardens. They reached 262/2 in 18.4 overs with Jonny Bairstow scoring 108 off 48 balls.
Who won more matches between KKR and PBKS?
KKR leads 19-12 in 31 matches. They have a 61.29% win rate. However, PBKS holds IPL’s highest chase record (262) and lowest defense record (111) against KKR.
Who scored fastest fifty in KKR vs PBKS matches?
Prabhsimran Singh scored 50 off 18 balls in 2024 at Kolkata. Jonny Bairstow reached 50 off 19 balls in the same match during the record 262-run chase.
What happened in 2014 IPL final between KKR and PBKS?
KKR won by 3 wickets at Bengaluru. Manish Pandey’s 94 off 50 balls helped KKR chase 200. Glenn Maxwell scored 95 for Punjab. This was KKR’s second IPL title.
Why This Rivalry Excites Fans
Record Contrasts: Both IPL’s highest chase (262) and lowest defense (111) happened in this rivalry.
Unpredictability: No match follows the script. Teams defend tiny totals or chase massive targets unexpectedly.
Power Hitters: Russell, Narine, Maxwell, Bairstow provide explosive entertainment.
Death Overs Drama: Most matches go down to final overs with nail-biting finishes.
Spin vs Power: Chahal and Narine’s spin battles Punjab’s aggressive batting create tactical contests.
Wrapping Up
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings timeline showcases IPL’s most unpredictable rivalry. From defending 111 to chasing 262, these teams produce cricket’s most extreme results.
Their battles defy conventional wisdom, proving that in T20 cricket, anything is possible. Every KKR vs PBKS match promises records, drama, and moments that redefine what we think is achievable in the shortest format.
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