Punjab Kings pulled off a stunning upset against Kolkata Knight Riders, defending a mere 111 runs to win by 16 runs. This is the lowest total successfully defended in IPL history. KKR was cruising at 62/2, needing just 50 more runs with 75 balls to spare, but PBKS bowlers staged a dramatic comeback.
A Thrilling Turnaround
Punjab Kings’ batting lineup struggled, collapsing to 111 all out. Harsit Rana claimed 3 wickets, while Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy took 2 wickets each. KKR’s early success was courtesy of a 55-run stand between Ajinkya Rahane (17) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (37). However, PBKS bowlers dismantled the KKR batting lineup, with the next 8 wickets falling for just 33 runs.
Standings Shake-Up
This win propels Punjab Kings from sixth to fourth place in the standings. They now have 4 wins from 6 matches, with a net run rate of +0.172. Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, slipped from fifth to sixth place. LSG fell from fourth to fifth, losing out due to KKR’s loss. KKR’s fourth defeat in seven matches leaves them with 6 points and a net run rate of +0.547.
IPL 2025 POINTS TABLE. 📈
– The Holy Trinity reunites at No.2, No.3 and No.4. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/21tixcofff
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 15, 2025
Orange Cap and Purple Cap
After the PBKS vs KKR match, Nicholas Pooran (LSG) leads the Orange Cap race with 357 runs from 7 innings. Here’s the top 5:
- Nicholas Pooran (LSG) – 357
- Sai Sudharsan (GT) – 329
- Mitchell Marsh (LSG) – 295
- Shreyas Iyer (PBKS) – 250
- Faf du Plessis (RCB) – 248
The Purple Cap remains with CSK’s Noor Ahmad, who has 12 wickets from 7 matches. The top 5 bowlers are:
- Noor Ahmad (CSK) – 12
- Khalil Ahmad (CSK) – 11
- Shardul Thakur (LSG) – 11
- Kuldeep Yadav (DC) – 10
- Prasidh Krishna (GT) – 10
