Celebrations galore as Marco Jansen cleans up Andre Russell to ensure PBKS successfully defend 111 vs KKR in IPL 2025 low-scoring thriller [Watch]

Punjab Kings (PBKS) scripted history, defending the lowest total against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 match at the new Chandigarh Stadium on Tuesday, April 15. Defending 111, the Shreyas Iyer-led side bundled out the Knight Riders for 95 in 15.1 overs to win the game by 16 runs.

Marco Jansen put the final nail in the coffin by knocking over Andre Russell. There were unreal scenes as Punjab beat Kolkata in the first low-scoring thriller in IPL this season. PBKS co-owner Preity Zinta, the fans, and the players were over the moon with the victory.

Watch the winning moment below:

Chasing 112, the Knight Riders got off to a poor start, losing openers Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock for single-digit scores. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi then shared a 55-run partnership for the third wicket. They returned with individual scores of a run-a-ball 17 and 37 off 28 deliveries, respectively.

Rahane was out lbw against Yuzvendra Chahal. He didn't take a review, and it cost him his wicket as the replays showed that the ball would've missed the off stump. The dismissal triggered a collapse as they lost their remaining seven wickets for 33 runs. Andre Russell (17 off 11) was the third batter to reach double digits. The modern-day finishers Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh perished for 7 (4), 2 (9), and a golden duck, respectively.

Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web for KKR batters, emerging as the leading wicket-taker for Punjab. He finished with stunning figures of 4/28, while Marco Jansen bagged three wickets. Meanwhile, Xavier Barlett, Arshdeep Singh, and Glenn Maxwell scalped one wicket each.

Batting first, Punjab were bundled out for 111 in 15.3 overs. Openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya chipped in with 30 (15) and 22 (12), respectively, before they suffered a collapse. Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Xavier Barlett were the other three batters who reached double digits.

Harshit Rana was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, returning with three wickets, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine shared one each.

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“I'll take the blame, played the wrong shot” – Ajinkya Rahane on KKR’s loss to PBKS in IPL 2025 thriller

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane took the blame on himself following his team’s loss to Punjab while chasing a modest total in the IPL 2025 low-scoring thriller. He said in the post-match show (via Cricbuzz):

“Nothing to explain, we all saw what happened there. Pretty disappointed with the effort. I'll take the blame, played the wrong shot, although it was missing. He wasn't very sure (his chat with Angkrish after being given out LBW). He said it could be umpire's call. I didn't want to take a chance at that time, I wasn't sure as well. That was the discussion.”

“We batted really badly as a batting unit, we take full responsibility. On this wicket, batting with full face (was better). Sweep was pretty hard to play. Keep the intent going but play cricketing shots. We were reckless and should take full responsibility,” he added.

Click here to check out the PBKS vs KKR IPL 2025 full scorecard.