Lowest scores defended in IPL from 2008 to 2025

T20 cricket is always looked at as a format that involves high scoring and a lot of fours and sixes. Similar is the case with the Indian Premier League where fans enjoy seeing the ball sail over the boundary ropes. With a lot of innovation, batters have developed new techniques which have made the life of bowlers more miserable. It has also led to teams finding it difficult to even defend high totals. However, there have been some IPL games in which the teams have successfully defended even very small totals. In this article, we will be discussing the matches where the five lowest totals were defended in IPL history.

5. 119 by Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Pune Warriors India, 2013

This was the game when Pune Warriors completely disappointed with their batting in a chase of 120 runs. SRH had scored 119/8 with vital knocks from Biplab Samantray (37) and Ashish Reddy (19) while Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up 3 wickets. However, Pune Warriors were bundled out for 108, thereby losing the match by 11 runs.

Spin maestro Amit Mishra showed his magic with the ball, picking up 4 wickets for 19 runs. However, Mishra who is known more for his bowling also contributed vitally with the blade, scoring 30 off 24. For this all-round impressive performance, the leggie was rightly adjudged as Player of the Match in a low-scoring thriller.

4. 119 by Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 2009 

Led by Yuvraj Singh, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) had a formidable line-up during the 2009 edition. In the 20th game of the season at Durban, they batted first against Mumbai Indians, but managed a meagre tally of 119/8 in the first innings, which was powered by 45(44) by wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Sangakkara.

During the chase, Mumbai batters did not get off to a flyer, losing three wickets in just the fifth over. However, Proteas all-rounder Jean Paul Duminy kept things going for Mumbai. However, little to zero support from the other end meant that Duminy's 59 (63) went in vain, and restricted the chase to 116/7 at the end of 20 overs. Eventually, the Sachin Tendulkar-led side lost the game by three runs.

3. 118 by Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians, 2018

In the 23rd game of the 2018 edition, Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium hosted another low-scoring thriller between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai were successful in restricting the visiting side to a humble total of 118, bundling them out in 18.4 overs. During the chase, however, the hosts got a taste of their own medicine, as clinical bowling spells from a not-so-daunting Hyderabad unit.

Siddarth Kaul returned with 3/23 in his four-over spell, which was ably supported by Basil Thampi's 2/4 in 1.5 overs. Veteran spinner Rashid Khan also kept things tight for MI, allowing just 11 runs in his spell, while also getting the number of two batters. Making a strong comeback in the game, the Hyderabad-based franchise cleaned up the opposition at a score of 87, which produced one of the most memorable matches in the league.

2. 116 by Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, 2009

Chennai Super Kings hold the record for defending the second-lowest score in the IPL history, which happened during the second edition of the prestigious tournament. The five-time champions posted a total of 116/9 in 20 overs, with Parthiv Patel scoring 32 runs off 23 balls.

Punjab's response was humbled down by the CSK bowlers, as captain MS Dhoni used his bowlers to pull off an unimaginable heist. The Punjab batters weren't given the opportunity to let loose and finish the game to their liking. As a result, CSK won the game by 24 runs, restricting Punjab to 92/8 in the second innings. Almost 15 years later, CSK hold the record for defending the lowest total in the league's history, attesting their dominance in the cash-rich league.

1. 111 by Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2025

Punjab Kings broke the record of defending the lowest total in the match against KKR in IPL 2025. Punjab Kings won the toss and started off well, scoring 33 runs in three overs. However, they started losing wickets at regular intervals after that. At the 10-over mark they were 80/6. They could not recover from there and ended up being all out for 111 in 15.3 overs.

KKR suffered an early blow in the form of Sunil Narine. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi formed a 55-run partnership in 38 balls for the third wicket and it seemed the match was almost in the bag for KKR. However, the PBKS spinners weaved their web around the KKR batters to put them in a hopeless position from 62/2 to 76/7 to 95 all out. Andre Russell tried his best to win the game for KKR but he failed to score the remaining 17 runs.

IPL Lowest scores defended from 2008 to 2025

*Last Updated: April 15, 2025