Yuzvendra Chahal delivered a spin masterclass on Tuesday night, leading Punjab Kings to a jaw-dropping 16-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders after defending just 111 runs—the lowest total ever successfully defended in IPL history.
Playing at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh, the match looked like a one-way street when Punjab were skittled out for 111 in just 15.3 overs. But Chahal had other plans.
Kolkata cruised to 62-2, but once Chahal stepped in, their chase fell apart. The leg-spinner grabbed 4 for 28, triggering a dramatic collapse that saw KKR all out for just 95 in 15.1 overs.
The performance didn’t just turn heads—it broke the internet. RJ Mahvash, a popular radio personality, posted a photo with Chahal on her Instagram story and captioned it: “What a talented man! Highest wicket-taker of IPL for a reason! Asambhav!”
KKR’s Andre Russell did try to turn things around, smashing two sixes and a four off Chahal when the score read 79-8. But Punjab’s bowlers held firm. Arshdeep Singh removed Vaibhav Arora, and Marco Jansen cleaned up Russell to spark wild celebrations.
Head coach Ricky Ponting called it one of his best wins in the IPL. “I’ve coached a lot of games, but that might just be the best win I’ve ever had,” he said.
Chahal’s spell broke the backbone of KKR’s batting. He trapped skipper Ajinkya Rahane lbw (despite ball-tracker suggesting it was outside off), then had Angkrish Raghuvanshi caught for 37. Glenn Maxwell chipped in by dismissing Venkatesh Iyer.
Chahal wasn’t done. He got Rinku Singh stumped, then removed Ramandeep Singh for a golden duck—two wickets in two balls. Harshit Rana blocked the hat-trick ball, but by then the damage was done.
With this win, Punjab climbed into the top four on the points table, their fourth victory in six matches. Chahal, who was named Player of the Match, had passed a fitness test before the game after a shoulder injury in his last outing.
Earlier, Harshit Rana rattled Punjab’s batting lineup with a fiery 3-wicket burst. After openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave Punjab a flying start, Rana removed Arya for 22, then dismissed skipper Shreyas Iyer for a duck.
Spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine kept chipping away as Punjab lost wickets regularly. Prabhsimran’s 30 was the highest score, but once he fell, Punjab crumbled.
Still, it was enough—thanks to Chahal and the bowlers, who turned an average night with the bat into a historic win with the ball.
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