The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of, if not the best, leagues in the world. It has the best bowlers from all around the world, which is why no matter how low the target set by the batting team, the bowlers never give up. Even the impossible can be made possible in the IPL. The lowest of targets can be defended, and this has been proved time and time again in the Indian Premier League. This article talks about the lowest totals defended in IPL history.
Match – 43 | LSG vs RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 18 runs!
RCB 126-9 (20)
LSG 108 (19.5)Player of the Match – Faf du Plessis #LSGvRCB #IPL2023 #Lucknow pic.twitter.com/5lFIqcFzTT
— Thimira Navod (@ImThimira07) May 1, 2023
Royal Challengers Bangalore only managed to make 126 runs in their match against Lucknow Super Giants on 1st May 2023. It looked like LSG would easily win the game, but RCB were not ready to give in yet. Two wickets from each of Josh Hazelwood and Karn Sharma and one wicket each by Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Harshal Patel saw RCB bowl out LSG for just 108 runs, winning the game by 18 runs.
The game between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad saw one of the best comebacks in IPL history. KXIP only managed to make 126 runs in 20 overs, setting a relatively low target for SRH to chase. However, three wickets from each of Chris Jordan and Arshdeep Singh, alongside one wicket from each of Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin, and Ravi Bishnoi, saw them bowl SRH out for just 114 runs, winning the game by a margin of 12 runs.
Credit: ESPNcricinfo
Sunrisers Hyderabad faced Pune Warriors India in the IPL on 5th April 2013. They made just 126 runs in 20 overs, and everyone thought it would be an easy chase for PWI. However, that is not how it panned out. SRH bowled exceptionally, with Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra picking up three wickets each, while Thisara Perera and Ashish Reddy picked up two and one wickets, respectively, to successfully bowl PWI out for just 104 runs, winning the game by 22 runs.
Credit: Hindustan Times
The game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, which took place on 21st May 2008, marked an amazing comeback completed by RCB. They set a target of just 127 for CSK to chase down, but brilliant bowling by Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar, and Vinay Kumar, who took three, two, one, and one wickets respectively, saw them restrict CSK to just 112 runs in 20 overs, winning the game by a margin of 14 runs.
Caribbean giant #JasonHolder's one man show in vain! SAD… Allround brilliance – his career best #IPL show with both bat & ball! 4 ovs 3/19 (including Rahul & Mayank) & 47(29)*#SRH's woes continue! Ruled out! #PBKS successfully defend just 125, and win by 5 runs👍#PBKSvSRH pic.twitter.com/xxNyhjZGd4
— Raghav Acharya (@raghavacharya95) September 25, 2021
The game between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, which took place on 25th September 2021, saw an incredible sequence of events unfold. PBKS made 125 runs in 20 overs, setting a very low target for SRH. However, PBKS bowlers Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh all stood strong, picking up three, two, and one wicket, respectively. This helped them restrict the opponent to just 120 runs in 20 overs, winning the game by 5 runs.
ALSO READ: Is Babar Azam’s Test Career Over?
#OnThisDay in 2012
MI defended 120 runs against PWI 💥
This is lowest Total defended by MI in IPLMalinga
In 17th Over – 9 runs + Ganguly's wicket
In 19th Over – 4 runs + Parnell's wicketMunaf Patel defended 11 runs in last over & MI Won by 1 run 💙 pic.twitter.com/IgvqLP6q3D
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) May 3, 2023
Mumbai Indians set one of the lowest totals in IPL history against Pune Warriors India on 3rd May 2012. MI set a small target of 121 for PWI to chase but managed to defend it successfully. Two wickets each by Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh and one wicket each by Munaf Patel and Pragyan Ojha helped MI do this. PWI played the game very slowly to the point where it came down to eight runs needed in the last two balls. PWI could only hit six, and MI managed to win the game by a single run.
Credit: Cricket Highlights
The game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Pune Warriors India, which took place in IPL on 17th April 2013, is the third time Pune Warriors India has appeared on this list. SRH made 119 runs against PWI, but brilliant bowling efforts by Amit Mishra, who took four wickets, Thisara Perera, who took three wickets, and Karn Sharma, Dale Steyn, and Ishant Sharma, who took one wicket each helped SRH win. They bowled PWI out for just 108 runs, winning the game by 11 runs.
2009 kxip defended 119 vs mi. Can they do it again? #PBKSVSGT #Yuvrajsingh pic.twitter.com/vg4j4NeyOe
— BAT&BALL (@GoAhead31101752) April 21, 2024
Kings XI Punjab defended one of the lowest totals in IPL history against Mumbai Indians on 29th April 2009. KXIP made 119 runs, and it looked like MI would chase it down easily. However, KXIP bowlers fought back, with Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Abdulla picking up two wickets each while Vikramjeet Malik, Ramesh Powar, and Piyush Chawla picked up one wicket each to restrict MI to just 116 runs in 20 overs, winning the game by a margin of 3 runs.
Credit: ESPNcricinfo
Sunrisers Hyderabad set a target of just 119 runs against Mumbai Indians on 24th April 2018 in the IPL. MI should have chased this total down easily, but it did not pan out that way. Three wickets by Siddarth Kaul, two wickets each by Rashid Khan and Basil Thampi, and one wicket each by Sandeep Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, and Shakib Al Hasan saw MI being bowled out for just 87 runs, and despite such a low target, SRH won the game by a big margin of 31 runs.
Gajab Fact
CSK defended the lowest ever score in IPL that is 116/9 in 2009 in Durban.
Punjab decided to bowl first and at some point there decision was going well due to a good start of George Bailey,Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina they got to a score of 119. And They defended. pic.twitter.com/6tmRvi60SZ— TROUBLE18 (@TROUBLEJI10) May 15, 2024
Chennai Super Kings hold the record for defending the lowest-ever total in IPL history. They made just 116 runs in the game against Kings XI Punjab on 20th May 2009, and it looked like Punjab would have an easy win in their hands. However, Thilan Thushara, Muthiah Muralidaran, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Suresh Raina all picked up two wickets each and restricted KXIP to just 92 runs, helping CSK win by a margin of 24 runs.
For more news and updates on IPL, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.
Guransh Machra is a sportswriter at Gutshot Magazine. He covers football news from local leagues like the Indian Super League as well as international leagues like the Premier League. He follows various sports like Football, Cricket, Formula 1, and Tennis. Apart from sports, Guransh is also enthusiastic about reading and gaming.
First deposit on PlayerzPot
Offer: Get 100% bonus up to ₹10,000 Register
4% commission on friends' deposits
Offer: Sign-up & get ₹500 FREE Register
Sign-up Now
Offer: Get ₹50 FREE Register
Download the app
Offer: Get ₹1,500* FREE Register