Punjab Kings made history as the Shreyas Iyer-led side successfully defended a low score of 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2025 match in Mullanpur. To put things in perspective, this is the lowest total defended in IPL that started in 2008.

However, it’s a highly rare scenario in which a team successfully defends a low score. Yet, it’s happened several times. In this article, we will be discussing about the IPL facts of lowest total defended in IPL history.

Also Read: Most Dismissals in IPL History

Lowest Total Defended in IPL

6. 120 by MI (vs PWI, 2012)

This game saw Mumbai Indians set a target of just 121. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was the Mumbai Indians top scorer with a knock of 34 while there were also contributions from James Franklin and Dinesh Karthik.

The MI bowlers, led by Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh, defended the score fiercely. Pune crumbled under pressure and could only muster 119, falling short by one run in a game that exemplified MI’s early reputation for pulling off scrappy wins. The final over saw Pune needing 12 to win and 11 for a super over was bowled by Munaf Patel. It went for 10 (including a wide) as MI hung on for the narrowest of wins.

5. 119 by SRH (vs PWI, 2013)

Another Pune Warriors heartbreak, this time at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH’s 119, carried by one-season-wonder Biplab Samantray’s 37.

It was a total that was below-par, especially against a Pune lineup that included Steve Smith, Aaron Finch, Robin Uthappa, Mitch Marsh and Angelo Matthews. But a devastating spell from Amit Mishra (4/19), which included a hat-trick, turned the match on its head. The Warriors were bowled out for just 108, handing SRH an unlikely 11-run win and helping establish the franchise’s long-standing reputation for defending tiny targets.

4. 119 by PBKS (vs MI, 2009)

Back in the South African edition of the IPL, PBKS managed to grind their way to 119 on a difficult Durban surface. Kumar Sangakkara’s 45 was key in helping them post a total with some fight to it.

In reply, MI’s chase never gained traction. Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Abdulla, and Ramesh Powar kept the pressure tight with only Proteas’ batsman JP Duminy really getting going as he made a well-played 59. MI were strangled for 116, handing Punjab a nail-biting three-run victory, the first of many low-score defences in their history.

3. 118 by SRH (vs MI, 2018)

This game was a bowler’s dream. Batting first SRH struggled from the outset with Kane Williamson and Yusuf Pathan joint top scorers with knocks of 29 as they made their way to a score of 118.

Mumbai, chasing a small target at home, were left stunned by a clinical SRH bowling performance. Rashid Khan (2/11) and Siddarth Kaul (3/23) triggered a collapse that saw MI bundled out for 87 and handing SRH what on paper appeared to be the simplest of 31-run wins, but what in reality was one of the great IPL bowling efforts.

2. 116 by CSK (vs PBKS, 2009)

Held in Durban, this was a classic case of CSK clawing their way back from the brink. Batting first, they could only post 116 with Parthiv Patel (30) Suresh Raina (20) top scoring on a difficult pitch.

But Muttiah Muralitharan (2/8), Ravi Ashwin (2/13) and Suresh Raina (2/17) bowled with guile, stifling PBKS to 92/8 in their 20 overs. It was one of those early IPL encounters that showed Dhoni’s leadership and CSK’s ability to win ugly.

Also Read: Most Wickets in 1st Over of IPL

1. 111 by PBKS (vs KKR, 2025)*

This week’s result enters the pantheon of IPL low-score defences. In a season where batting has generally dominated, PBKS crumbled to 111 all out after being put in by KKR. But what followed was breathtaking.

Chahal and Jansen bowled with venom and variation to strangle KKR’s chase. The target was small, but the pressure built relentlessly. KKR folded for just 95, an example to PBKS’s bowling discipline and mental strength. This was the lowest total defended in IPL in a non-rain affected game.

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