Punjab Kings made Indian Premier League history against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday as they defended their first-innings score of 111 – now the lowest winning total in the history of the competition.

They clinched victory by 16 runs as KKR suffered a massive batting collapse, getting bowled out for 95 runs within the 16th over at New Chandigarh.

After a dismal showing with the bat where Punjab themselves suffered a collapse, their bowlers came to the party to pull off an incredible heist in the second innings.

Yuzvendra Chahal, in particular, shone with the ball, claiming 4-28 from four overs to dismantle KKR's chase after they had made a solid start.

This win comes just days after Punjab failed to defend a mammoth first innings score of 245 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, with Abhishek Sharma’s blistering century sealing a historic chase at this very venue.

Reflecting on the victory, Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting expressed his elation, especially after the demoralising loss to SRH.

“The heart rate is still up there. Two days ago we couldn't defend 240. On small chases like this, the wicket was easy,” Ponting said.

“Even if we had lost [this] game, I couldn’t have been prouder of us in the second innings, the batting was poor, but if we had gone down in a close one, I thought this was a season defining moment.

“I reckon at the halfway mark there weren't too many people around the world who would have defended that.

“That might just be about the best win I've ever had as coach,” he added.

From the ecstasy of chasing big 
To the ecstasy of defending low 

The battle between these 2 teams is a rollercoaster you don’t want to miss #TATAIPL | #PBKSvKKR | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/RPC7Kx5Aa6

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2025

Ponting, who previously coached the Delhi Capitals for seven seasons, highlighted Chahal's pivotal role in the match, revealing that the spinner had been a fitness doubt before the game.

“How about Chahal tonight? He actually had a fitness test before the game. I asked him if he was okay, he said he was ready to go,” the Australian explained.

Chahal’s magnificent spell saw him dismiss KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane in the eighth over and Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the ninth, before returning to take two wickets in two balls in the 11th over, sending Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh packing as Punjab tightened the screws.

Chahal is the IPL’s leading wicket-taker, having amassed 211 scalps across his 12-year-long career at an impressive economy rate of just 7.92.

Punjab, meanwhile, added to their record collection with Tuesday’s win. The Kings are already the holders of the highest-ever successful chase in IPL history, having chased down 262 against KKR at Eden Gardens just under a year ago.

That meeting between these sides in April last year saw the highest match aggregate set in this fixture (523 runs), while Tuesday's encounter provided the lowest match aggregate between them (206).

The previous record for the lowest total defended was 116, set by Chennai Super Kings against Punjab in 2009.