From the King of Punjab to CSK: Teams that master the art of defending low positions in the IPL
On Tuesday, the Punjab Kings faced only 110 defenses against the Kolkata Cavaliers, the lowest ever in tournament history.
Over the years, a handful of teams like Chennai Super Kings, Sunshine Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians have shown masterclass bowling performances to turn low scores into champions. This is a careful study of the most incredible low-score defense in IPL history.
It was an incredible achievement for Punjab, followed by four other games, in IPL history, the team breached odds and defended an extremely low total.
Chennai Super King – 116/9 with King XI Punpu
Before the heroism of Punjab, the Chennai Super Kings held a record for the lowest defense in IPL history for nearly 15 years. In a 2009 match in Durban, CSK had a total of 116/9, while Parthiv Patel had a top score of 23 goals.
Despite seemingly impressive, CSK’s bowling ball (supervised by Captain MS Dhoni) remained nervous and never allowed Punjab batsmen to release. The pressure paid off as CSK limited KXIP to 92/8, with 24 wins in the low score classic.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 118 vs Mumbai Indians
In 2018, Sunrisers Hyderabad held one of the most memorable defenses in IPL history at Wankhede Stadium, a venue notorious for its preference for batsmen. The bowling unit of SRH was led only by SIDDARTH KAUL (3/23) and Basil Thampi (2/4), and the bowling unit of SRH shocked the Mumbai Indians after the bowling unit of SRH (2/4) was bowled.
Senior leg spinner Rashid Khan put things in a 2/11 pain spell. result? Mi collapsed just 87, and in one game, SRH scored 31 wins, which remains one of the most incredible turnarounds in league history.
King XI Punjab – 119/8 with the Mumbai Indians
Back in the 2009 edition, King XI Punjab (now the King of Punjab) won another nail victory in defending Durban 119/8. Kumar Sangakkara’s 45 innings anchored the innings, but it was the bowlers who kept their nerves in the final game.
Jean-Paul Duminy threatened to take the game away with a 59* fight, but on the other end, Punjab knocked the game down with just 3 shots, even then, showing their trick to tightening the total for defense.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – 119/8 vs Pune Warriors India
The 2013 conflict allowed Sunrisers Hyderabad to successfully defend the 119/8 defense of the Pune Warriors India. Until the SRH bowlers entered the picture, the total seemed to be below the bar, led by the infeasible Amit Mishra, who not only rotated the network at 4/19, but also contributed 30 convenient contributions with bats.
Pune never found its rhythm in the chase and folded 108, which gave the SRH an 11-shot victory. Mishra’s all-round glory earned him the match prize in this competition.
