Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting was over the moon as his side managed to defend 111 runs to win against Kolkata Knight Riders in a thriller in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 15.
This was the second win for PBKS in Mullanpur this season. They found winning at home tough last year. However, so far this year, they have won two out of three games. 111 runs is also the lowest-ever total defended in the IPL, and the Kings did it in style.
KKR was well placed at 62 runs for two wickets heading into the eighth over. However, Ajinkya Rahane's dismissal led to a disappointing batting collapse from the Knight Riders. KKR lost their last eight wickets for just 33 runs, with Yuzvendra Chahal taking four of them. He took four wickets for 28 runs as he completely bamboozled the KKR batters.
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PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting rated the victory as his "best ever win" as coach. Talking to the broadcaster, Ponting had a beaming smile while talking about the game.
From Agony To Ecstacy- Moments From Punjab's Win Over Kolkata
"The heart rate still up a bit for me - it's probably up over 200," "I don't need many of those games like that at my age of over 50 now. It just goes to show how funny a game it is. Only three days ago we couldn't defend 246 [245] and here we are, defending 112 [111] with 16 runs up our sleeves. We actually said to the guys at the halfway mark that really small chases like this are sometimes the hardest. The wicket wasn't easy. You can see right through the game it was holding up" Ponting told the broadcaster soon after the game.
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Ricky Ponting Lauds Yuzvendra Chahal
The PBKS head coach had a special mention for Yuzvendra Chahal. It was his four-wicket spell that turned the game in Punjab's favor. Yuzi now has the joint-most four-wicket hauls in the IPL along with Sunil Narine. He also has 33 wickets against KKR, which is among the most for any bowler against a particular opposition in the IPL. Knight Riders getting rolled out for 95 runs is their third-lowest in the IPL ever.
"But what about [Yuzvendra] Chahal tonight! How good a spell of bowling was that! We've actually put it on him a bit during the week. He had a fitness test before the game today with his shoulder injury that he picked up in the last game and I grabbed him at the warm-up, looked him in the eye and said, 'Mate, are you OK?' He said, 'Coach, I'm 100% alright, let me out there', and what a spell of bowling" Ponting lauded Chahal.
Halfway through the season, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have lost four of their first seven games. They lost only three overall in their title-winning season last year. KKR had the opportunity to top the IPL 2025 points table had they won the game in 14.1 overs. However, it was a dramatic turnaround, and KKR ended up losing the contest by 16 runs.
