Sometimes teams chase the highest total of more than 200 in IPL, while at other times, they fail to reach the lowest total of even 100. The lowest defended totals by any IPL team tell us the actual bowling power of that team. These matches show the unpredictable nature of the game as well as the bowlers dedication.
Bowlers and batters on both teams undergo tremendous pressure. Why is this so? To defend low scores, scoring runs and getting wickets becomes a crucial game component. To win the match, every defending team member must give a hundred percent effort.
This one hundred percent effort would always include creating a strategy and turning it into action through each team player. The key point for defending a low total will include working together to put pressure on the opposing team. As a result of the pressure chasing, batters from the opposition make mistakes, which leads to defending a total.
Read More: Highest Run Chase in IPL
The lowest total score defended in IPL is 106 runs. Punjab Kings (2013) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (2015) defended this total of 106 runs. Now, we will look at some other total defended in IPL history.
| Defender | Venue | Defended Total | Venuw | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCB | CSK | 106 | Bengaluru | 2013 |
| PBKS | RCB | 106 | Mohali | 2015 |
| CSK | PBKS | 116 | Durban | 2009 |
| SRH | MI | 118 | Wankhede | 2018 |
| PBKS | MI | 119 | Durban | 2009 |
| SRH | Pune | 119 | Pune | 2013 |
| MI | Pune | 120 | Pune | 2012 |
| PBKS | SRH | 125 | Sharjah | 2021 |
| RCB | CSK | 126 | Chennai | 2008 |
| SRH | Pune | 126 | Hyderabad | 2013 |
Royal Challengers Bangalore (106/2)
Royal Challengers Bangalore defended the lowest total against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2013. This was the rain-affected match limited to 08 overs for each side. RCB batted first and scored 106 runs for the loss of 02 wickets. Virat Kohli was the highest scorer of the match, scoring 56 runs on 29 balls.
In reply, Chennai Super Kings scored 82 runs in 08 overs and lost the match. Murali Vijay and Dwayne Bravo were the only top scores from Chennai Super Kings. Zaheer Khan from RCB took 04 wickets and was the leading wicket taker of the match. His four wicket haul in this IPL game contributed to the historic win of RCB over CSK.
Punjab Kings (106/6)
Punjab Kings defended the second-lowest total in IPL in the 2015 season of IPL. This was the rain-affected match between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore in May 2015.
Kings XI Punjab batted first and scored 106 runs for the loss of 06 wickets in 10 overs. They scored more than the total runs with a run rate of over 10 RPO.
In reply, RCB was not able to chase the target. RCB scored 84 runs in 10 overs for the loss of 06 wickets. Axar Patel was announced as the player of the match for his all-round performance for Kings XI Punjab. W Saha was the top Punjab Kings scorer, scoring 31 runs, while no RCB batter crossed 20 runs.
Chennai Super Kings (116/9)
In IPL 2009, Chennai Super Kings defended the lowest target of 116 runs against Punjab Kings. This was 20 overs match, and CSK set the target of 116 runs for a chase. Only a few CSK batters could score runs with the bat. Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan from Punjab Kings dominated the bowling lineup.
In reply, it was all Muralitharan show and day from CSK. However, Ravi Ashwin also helped Muralitharan to beat Punjab Kings. Muralitharan took 02 wickets after conceding 08 runs. Hence, he was given the Player of the Match award for outstanding performance.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (118)
In IPL 2018 season, SRH defended one of the lowest totals of the season. They defended 118 runs against Mumbai Indians. Although SRH could not score the highest total, but they managed to beat MI with their bowling effort.
Kane Williamson and Yousuf Pathan were the highest runs scorer from SRH. Both scored 29 runs with the bat to help their team win the match.
In reply, Mumbai could not bat well to chase the target. The only positives from their batting lines were Surya Kumar Yadava and Krunal Pandya. Rashid Khan bowled really well and won the man of the Match award for superb performance.
Punjab Kings (119/8)
Punjab Kings defended a total of 119 runs against Mumbai Indians in the 2009 season of IPL. At that time, Punjab Kings was a very strong team consisting of some of the biggest names in cricket, such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Yuvraj Singh.
Punjab Kings batted first and scored 119 runs for the loss of 08 wickets in 20 overs. Lasith Malinga was the main game-changer for the Mumbai Indians, who took 02 wickets in the innings.
In reply, Mumbai Indians scored 116 runs for the loss of 07 wickets in 20 overs. Irfan Pathan and Yousuf Abdullah bowled well for Punjab Kings. Kumar Sangakkara was announced as the player of the match.
Mumbai Indians (120/9)
This was one of the most thrilling matches in IPL history. Mumbai Indians won this match against Pune Warriors by one run. Mumbai batted first and posted a total of 120 runs for the loss of 09 wickets. James Franklin and Sachin Tendulkar were the highest run scorer from Mumbai Indians and scored 25 and 34, respectively.
In reply, Mithan Minhas from Pune Warriors take his team to the last run fight. He scored an outstanding 42 of 32 balls. Due to his superb batting effort, PWI reached the mark of 119 runs but could not win the match. Mumbai won the match by the smallest margin of 01 run.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (126/8)
In IPL 2008 season, Royal Challengers Bangalore scored the lowest total of 126 runs for the loss of 08 wickets. RCB scored 126 runs for the loss of 08 wickets in 20 overs of IPL. RCB batted first, and Rahul Dravid did all the magic for RCB. He scored 47 runs on 39 balls with the help of 05 fours. Albie Morkel took 04 wickets from Chennai Super Kings.
CSK was very happy with the performance but Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn from RCB bowled really well. Both took 05 wickets collectively and put a huge pressure. Anil Kumble was announced as man of the match for his superb bowling performance. He took 03 catches and 03 wickets.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (126/6)
Sunrisers Hyderabad defended the lowest total of 126 runs for the loss of 06 wickets. In reply, Pune Warriors scored 104 runs in the 19th over. Therefore, SRH won the match by 22 runs. Thisara Pareera was the top scorer from SRH, who took a total of 126 runs in 20 overs.
In reply, Pune Warriors were bowled out for 104 runs. Amit Mishra from SRH did all the destruction to the PWI batting lineup. He was announced as the player of the match for his Superb Knock.
Punjab Kings (126/7)
Punjab Kings defended different lowest total in IPL history. Defending 126 runs for the loss of 07 wickets in another lowest total they defended in IPL. Nicholas Pooran was the top scorer from Punjab Kings, scoring 32 runs on 28 balls. Sandeep Sharma, Rashid Khan, and Jason Holder took 02 wickets in the innings.
In reply, SRH scored a total of 114 runs in 20 overs and lost the match. Arshdeep Singh from Punjab Kings took the highest wickets 03 in the match.
