IPL 2024: Lowest scores defended in IPL history

T20 cricket is always looked at as a format that involves high scoring and a lot of fours and sixes. Similar is the case with the Indian Premier League (IPL) where fans enjoy seeing the ball sail over the boundary ropes. With a lot of innovation, batters have developed new techniques which have made the life of bowlers more miserable. It has also led to teams finding it difficult to even defend high totals. However, there have been some IPL games in which the teams have successfully defended even very small totals. In this article, we will be discussing the matches where the five lowest totals were defended in IPL history.

5. 120 by Mumbai Indians vs Pune Warriors India, 2012

This is one of the closest matches held in IPL history as far as low scores are concerned. The Mumbai Indians team could only manage to score 120/9 while batting first in their innings. For them, Sachin Tendulkar was the top scorer with 34 runs off 35 balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashish Nehra picked up 2 wickets each to keep Mumbai batters in check.

Chasing this target, the Pune team never got going and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. On the second ball of the 19th over, they lost their sixth wicket at a score of 105 runs, and now they needed to score 15 runs off the last 10 balls. Mithun Manhas tried his best to win the game for the team with his 42-run knock-off 34 balls but failed to get the team over the finishing line. Mumbai won this thriller by just 1 run, giving fans a run for their money.

4. 119 by Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Pune Warriors India, 2013

This was the game when Pune Warriors completely disappointed with their batting in a chase of 120 runs. SRH had scored 119/8 with vital knocks from Biplab Samantray (37) and Ashish Reddy (19) while Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up 3 wickets. However, Pune Warriors were bundled out for 108, thereby losing the match by 11 runs.

Spin maestro Amit Mishra showed his magic with the ball, picking up 4 wickets for 19 runs. However, Mishra who is known more for his bowling also contributed vitally with the blade, scoring 30 off 24. For this all-round impressive performance, the leggie was rightly adjudged as Player of the Match in a low-scoring thriller.

3. 119 by Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, 2009 

Led by Yuvraj Singh, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) had a formidable line-up during the 2009 edition. In the 20th game of the season at Durban, they batted first against Mumbai Indians, but managed a meagre tally of 119/8 in the first innings, which was powered by 45(44) by wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Sangakkara.

During the chase, Mumbai batters did not get off to a flyer, losing three wickets in just the fifth over. However, Proteas all-rounder Jean Paul Duminy kept things going for Mumbai. However, little to zero support from the other end meant that Duminy's 59 (63) went in vain, and restricted the chase to 116/7 at the end of 20 overs. Eventually, the Sachin Tendulkar-led side lost the game by three runs.

2. 118 by Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians, 2018

In the 23rd game of the 2018 edition, Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium hosted another low-scoring thriller between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai were successful in restricting the visiting side to a humble total of 118, bundling them out in 18.4 overs. During the chase, however, the hosts got a taste of their own medicine, as clinical bowling spells from a not-so-daunting Hyderabad unit.

Siddarth Kaul returned with 3/23 in his four-over spell, which was ably supported by Basil Thampi's 2/4 in 1.5 overs. Veteran spinner Rashid Khan also kept things tight for MI, allowing just 11 runs in his spell, while also getting the number of two batters. Making a strong comeback in the game, the Hyderabad-based franchise cleaned up the opposition at a score of 87, which produced one of the most memorable matches in the league.

1. 116 by Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, 2009

Chennai Super Kings hold the record for defending the lowest score in the IPL history, which happened during the second edition of the prestigious tournament. The five-time champions posted a total of 116/9 in 20 overs, with Parthiv Patel scoring 32 runs off 23 balls.

Punjab's response was humbled down by the CSK bowlers, as captain MS Dhoni used his bowlers to pull off an unimaginable heist. The Punjab batters weren't given the opportunity to let loose and finish the game to their liking. As a result, CSK won the game by 24 runs, restricting Punjab to 92/8 in the second innings. Almost 15 years later, CSK hold the record for defending the lowest total in the league's history, attesting their dominance in the cash-rich league.

Lowest scores defended in IPL

*Last Updated: March 15th 2024