Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer trusted his team’s strength and chose to bat first after winning the toss. The openers got off to a strong start, with Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh scoring 39 runs in just 3 overs. However, things quickly fell apart as Harshit Rana dismissed both the young centurion and the captain. Arya scored a quick 22, while Iyer was out for a duck.
After Rana dismissed Singh as well, KKR spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine took control of the game. PBKS middle-order batters—Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, and Marco Jansen—were all caught in their spin trap. Thanks to a few big hits from Shashank Singh, Punjab managed to reach a total of 111. Many fans expected the reigning champions to chase the target with ease, but what happened next stunned the entire cricketing world.
While the Knight Riders’ bowlers did well, the Punjab Kings were even better. Narine and Quinton de Kock continued their poor form, getting out cheaply. With KKR at 7 for 2, captain Ajinkya Rahane and Impact Sub Angkrish Raghuvanshi had the task of guiding their team to victory. Raghuvanshi looked in good touch but was dismissed for 37 by Yuzvendra Chahal.
KKR suffered one of the biggest collapses in IPL history. Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh all fell to the bowling of Chahal and Maxwell. With the reigning champions struggling at 95 for 9, all hopes rested on one man: Andre Russell. However, the tall South African dismissed him on the first ball of the 16th over, sealing a famous win. With this victory, the Punjab Kings climbed back to 4th place on the points table.
Fans react to Punjab Kings’ famous win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the 31st match of IPL 2025
PBKS did the unthinkable and defended the lowest-ever score in IPL history against KKR. While many fans praised Punjab’s bravery and awesome performance, others trolled KKR for their inability to chase the target of 112.
One fan labeled the Knight Riders as the “chokers” of the IPL. Another mocked Russell for his poor form, calling him a “double agent” for failing to perform against his former captain, Iyer. Some fans even claimed that PBKS was the best team this season. Here are some of the top fan reactions:
One user praised Chahal’s performance, noting that after several poor outings, he finally delivered. Another said that low-scoring thrillers are the most entertaining. Many fans also pointed out that captain Rahane made a big mistake by not reviewing the delivery he was dismissed on.