Yuzvendra Chahal snatched away victory from KKR.

By Vivan Singh | April 16, 2025 | Categories: SPORTS, INDIA

Defending only 111 runs, Chahal’s 4-wicket magical spell and Shreyas Iyer’s leadership turn the table for Punjab Kings.

New Delhi: On Tuesday, in a remarkable contest, Yuzvendra Chahal turned the scenario for the Punjab Kings while defending only a total of 111 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders, which would become one of the lowest totals defended in IPL history. Chahal had earlier fought for form and proved to be the best by winning a match with a figure of 4 wickets at only 28 runs; and got the Player of the Match award.

Batting first, Punjab Kings crumbled dramatically to 111 in 15.3 overs; the opening pair of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh had indeed shown promise by scoring 39 runs in just 3.1 overs at a blistering pace. The rest of the batting lineup failed to take up where this fiery opening had left off, and most crumbled under the pressure exerted by Kolkata’s bowlers.

It looked like KKR were in total control during the run chase, especially after a steady 55-run partnership between captain Ajinkya Rahane and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi. By the end of the powerplay, Kolkata seemed to stand strong at 55/2 and needed only 57 runs in 14 overs after that.

But from there, the match took a turn when Shreyas Iyer came on to bring in Chahal in the 8th over. The leg-spinner made an immediate headline as he trapped Rahane LBW with a sharp turning delivery, although replays later suggested the ball might have pitched outside off-stump—no review was taken, as always.

Chahal hit again in his second over, this time getting Raghuvanshi out. Under mounting pressure, wickets begin falling for KKR. Glenn Maxwell provided the finishing touch, getting Venkatesh Iyer in the 11th, and then came the 12th over when Chahal got both Rinku Singh (stumped) and Ramandeep Singh (caught at leg slip) in consecutive deliveries.

Kolkata, from 55/2, crumbled to 76/7. Andre Russell’s resistance for a short while proved too little, as he smashed 16 runs in just one Chahal over, but that was not enough to achieve the target. Another left-hander, Marco Jansen, played an important role and took 3 wickets for 17 runs.

Post win, Chahal added, “We knew we had a chance if we could pick two or three wickets in the powerplay; there was a lot of turn on the pitch, and I was confident about making a difference in the middle overs.”

Sweet revenge for Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer, who had captained Kolkata to a title win the previous year but was not retained, as he fetched a whopping ₹26.75 crore in the IPL auction—the second-most ever in IPL history. Iyer’s astute tactical decisions, along with smart field placements and timely bowling changes, turned the tide.

After the match, Iyer said, “It is hard to express in words what this win feels like. I just remained calm and focused on making the right decisions. I told Chahal to attack because the ball was turning, and that made the difference.”

With this win, Punjab became fourth in the IPL points table with eight points. Next, on April 18, they face Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Kolkata Knight Riders, now in the sixth position, would look forward to a win in their challenging match against the Titans of Gujarat on April 21.

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