What a low-scoring thriller we had in Mullanpur yesterday. Punjab Kings (PBKS) managed to defend the target of 112 in front of a power-packed batting line-up of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It was an unexpected match, but it was such a thrill to watch. We had a 245 run chase match a couple of days ago, and now we have 112 target defended. That's the IPL everyone was waiting for such a long time.
PBKS strengthened their position in the IPL points table after yesterday's win, moving into the top 4. KKR is still at no.7 with only 3 wins in 7 matches. It was all KKR's game until Yuzvendra Chahal spun his magic. He's truly back in form now — a great sign for Punjab ahead of their upcoming matches. Chahal got 4 key wickets of KKR batters, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh. All these wickets were crucial for winning the match.
Was it that difficult to bat on this pitch?
It was a decent pitch to be honest, it had played even over the past few years. Par score here was 160-180, what batters did wrong here was playing the false shot. Before the start of IPL, the talks were only about 300 runs, but at the halfway stage of IPL, a team can't even chase the total of 112. The ball wasn’t swinging or turning much — the key was bowling the right length. In this T20 era, batters seem to want to hit every ball for six, but you have to respect the bowler’s length and play according to the situation, even in a T20 game. It was not the pitch, it was the batters' mindset that gave us a proper low-scoring thriller, which was much-awaited by the cricket fans.
This match had a dismissal rate of 9.4 balls per wicket. in IPL history, only one other game had a lower dismissal rate with 12+ wickets falling in the game, and that game was KKR vs RCB in 2017, where the dismissal rate was 8.7 per ball. Punjab Kings have now chased the highest total in the IPL (vs KKR,2024) and defended the lowest total in the IPL (vs KKR,2025).
Shreyas Iyyer's Brilliance in Captaincy
Currently, Shreyas Iyyer is one of the best captain in T20 cricket. Shreyas has played 76 matches as a captain and won 42. He has won the trophy for KKR and has taken DC to the Finals in the year 2020. Shreyas has a great cricketing mind and knows when to attack with his bowling and sets the field accordingly. Ricky Pointing, the coach of PBKS, after the 1st match of PBKS vs GT, said that, I was sitting there and it was like, oh, they need 13 an over, they need 14 an over, sent the message out to Shreyas, mate, what do you want to do? And he said straight away, just get Vyshak out here, he will nail a couple of overs at yorkers and we will close this game.
When all of us thought that the game was over for PBKS, Shreyas confidently asked for Vyshal and was confident of closing the game. That shows his mindset and dedication towards the game. Also, in yesterday's match, he bowled with only 4 bowlers, and his 4th bowler was Maxwell, still, he was looking confident that his bowlers could finish this game for the team.
Bowler's Paradise
Yesterday's game was all about bowlers, not specifically fast or spin bowlers; every bowler bowled brilliantly, hitting the right length according to the pitch. A total of 9 bowlers bowled yesterday, and everyone got at least a wicket for the team, which doesn't occur often. Notable bowlers who got more than 2 wickets were Harshit Rana, Marco Jansen, and Yuzvendra Chahal. All 3 having International experience. Varun and Narine bowled brilliantly too, they claimed 2 wickets each.
This was a game that will be in the minds of cricket fans for ages. High-scoring games are fun but can never match the excitement of low-scoring matches. In a nail-biting finish, PBKS held their nerve to clinch a crucial win, with Chahal's brilliant spell turning the tide. This victory could be a momentum-changer as they eye a strong finish in the league.
About the Author
Advait Kadam is a sports writer at Vygr Media, specializing in cricket coverage and match analysis. With a background in Sports Management and a passion for storytelling, he brings sharp insights and fresh perspectives to every game.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved Powered by Vygr Media.
