Often hailed as one of the most popular leagues in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is followed by millions of cricket aficionados from every nook and corner of the world. The glorious history of the Indian Premier League has been witness to numerous legendary batsmen, including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Rohit Sharma, Kumar Sangakkara and many others, who have dominated even the most seasoned bowlers of the league and have successfully led their respective teams to a glorious streak of victories.
Despite their batting dominance, these trailblazing batsmen have often ended up defending extremely low totals owing to the annihilating bowling attack by their star-studded lineup of bowlers. Have you ever wondered about the top four lowest scores that have been defended by the greatest teams in the history of the Indian Premier League as of April 2026? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four lowest scores that have been defended in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as of April 2026.
Top 4 Lowest Scores Defended in IPL from 2008 to 2026
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Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), 2021 – 111 Runs
The iconic match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the IPL 2021 edition is often hailed as one of the most iconic matches in the history of the Indian Premier League and garnered immense attention from millions of cricket aficionados from all over the world. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) chose to bat first and scored a mere total of 111 runs off 15.3 overs.
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Although the fans of both teams anticipated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to easily chase the target and defeat Punjab Kings (PBKS), the latter left the fans absolutely stunned with their lethal bowling attack. Yuzvendra Chahal delivered one of the most iconic bowling spells of his career and picked up a record total of four wickets off just 28 runs, triggering a major collapse for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The star bowlers from the Punjab Kings (PBKS), including Yuzvendra Chahal and Marco Jansen undoubtedly stole the spotlight of the evening and played a crucial role in defending a total of 111 runs for their squad and led them to a spine-chilling victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a formidable margin of 16 runs.
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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS), 2009 – 116/9
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At the second spot on our list of the top four lowest scores that have been defended in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as of April 2026, we have Chennai Super Kings (CSK)’s total of 116 runs at the loss of nine wickets off 20 overs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) during the IPL 2009 edition. Although the target initially seemed to be easily chaseable for the masterclass batting lineup of the Punjab Kings (PBKS), which included Yuvraj Singh, Mathew Hayden and many others, the spearhead bowling unit of the Chennai Super KIngs (CSK) proved to be unstoppable.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK)’s bowling unit featured some of the most prominent and deadly international bowlers, including Muttiah Muralitharan and Ravichandran Ashwin, who played their parts quite well and picked up a record total of three and two wickets respectively, annihilating the batting lineup of the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Despite already having an edge, Punjab Kings (PBKS) ended up losing against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by a total of 24 runs, leaving the fans absolutely shocked and stunned.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR), 2008 – 116/2
Next, at the third spot on our list of the top four lowest scores defended in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) we have a mortifying total of 116 runs at the loss of two wickets off 20 overs which was scored by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008.
The group-stage encounter between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) which was played on 19 April 2008 at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore stadium garnered enormous attention from millions of cricket aficionados from all over the world and highlighted the unmatched dominance of bowlers in the arena of T20 cricket.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chose to bat first and were able to post a moderate total of 116 runs in 20 overs which was solely built on the opening partnership between Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher.
While the fans anticipated Rajasthan Royals (RR) to easily chase the modest target total laid by the RCB, the bowlers of the Bengaluru side delivered one of the most terrific upsets in the history of the Indian Premier League and picked up the most crucial wickets of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) right in the initial overs of the match.
The star-studded lineup of bowlers from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) included Anil Kumble, Pankaj Singh and Praveen Kumar, who annihilated the RR’s batting lineup and picked up a record total of two wickets, one wicket and one wicket respectively. Despite laying down a modest target total, these sensational bowlers kept the entire batting lineup of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) under excruciating pressure throughout the innings and ultimately led their squad to a spine-chilling victory by a total of ten runs.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Mumbai Indians (MI), 2008 – 118/8
Finally, at the fourth spot on our list of the top four lowest scores that have been defended in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), as of April 2026, we have the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) franchise, which ended up scoring a humble total of 118 runs at the loss of eight wickets against Mumbai Indians during the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League. Often hailed as one of the most exciting low-score thrillers in the history of the Indian Premier League, the nail-biting match between the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) garnered unprecedented attention from millions of fans of the league from every nook and corner of the world.
Although the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ended up scoring a modest total of just 118 runs over their 20 overs, their star-studded lineup of bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan left no stone unturned in dominating the entire batting lineup of the Mumbai Indians (MI) and picked up a match-winning total of three wickets, two wickets and two wickets respectively which struck as a major blow to the MI’s batting lineup. Ultimately, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) played a crucial role in defending their modest total of 118/8 runs and defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by a formidable margin of 31 runs.
