CHANDIGARH: Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned figures of 4-28 as Punjab Kings defended IPL’s lowest ever total of 111 to down holders Kolkata Knight Riders by 16 runs in a thriller on Tuesday.
Kolkata looked to be cruising at 62-2 before Chahal cut through the chase with his leg-spin, and the side collapsed to 95 all out in 15.1 overs at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.
Punjab were earlier bowled out for 111 in 15.3 overs but Chahal and company turned the match on its head to better Chennai Super Kings’ record — they defended 116 against them (formerly Kings XI Punjab) in 2009.
Kolkata’s Andre Russell attempted to pull off the chase from 79-8 when he hit two sixes and a four off Chahal but Punjab held their nerve.
Arshdeep Singh sent back Vaibhav Arora and then fellow left-arm quick Marco Jansen bowled Russell to trigger wild celebrations in Punjab’s home ground.
“I have coached a lot of games in the IPL and that might just be about the best win I ever had,” head coach Ricky Ponting said after the close contest.
Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane and impact substitute Angkrish Raghuvanshi put on 55 runs for the third wicket when Chahal broke through to get the captain back in the pavilion lbw.
Ball tracker suggested the ball was outside the off stump, but Rahane did not take the review.
“Pretty disappointed with the effort,” said Rahane. “I’ll take the blame, played the wrong shot, although it was missing.”
Chahal, with his tail now up, got Raghuvanshi caught out in the next over for 37 and the Punjab were in the game when Glenn Maxwell had Venkatesh Iyer lbw for seven.
Chahal then got two in two — Rinku Singh stumped and Ramandeep Singh out for a golden duck — before Harshit Rana avoided the hat-trick ball.
But the day belonged Chahal and Punjab who moved into the top four of the 10-team table with their fourth win in six matches.
Ponting said Chahal, who was named player of the match, had a fitness test before the game for a shoulder injury he picked in his previous outing.
Earlier, Rana rattled the Punjab top-order after a brisk start by the openers and returned figures of 3-25 from his three overs.
New batting sensation Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh made the hosts race to 39 in 3.1 overs, before Rana struck to send back the left-handed Arya caught at fine leg for 22.
Rana got one more wicket two balls later when Ramandeep pulled off a stunning catch in the deep to dismiss skipper Shreyas Iyer, for a duck.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy joined forces in the next over to have Punjab’s England import Josh Inglis bowled for two.
Prabhsimran, who made 30, attempted to hit back with two sixes off Rana but the bowler had the last laugh with Ramandeep once again taking a catch at point.
Chakravarthy and fellow spinner Sunil Narine kept striking regular blows as Punjab’s batting faltered only for their bowlers to ultimately save the day.