Mullanpur: In a thrilling clash, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal turned the match around with a remarkable spell of bowling, taking four crucial wickets, to help Punjab Kings (PBKS) earn an unbelievable 16-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here.

Chahal, who had just two wickets this season before this match, proved his mettle by claiming 4/28 and in the process assisted his team in defending the lowest ever total in IPL history. Chasing a meagre 112, KKR stumbled from 72/3 after 9 overs to 95 all out in 15.1 overs.

The manner of the collapse left most KKR fans shaking their heads. The shot selection was poor and the match awareness was poorer still. They were well ahead of the asking rate and could have won the game in singles but kept losing one wicket after another.

Lauding Chahal’s performance, a beaming head coach Ricky Ponting said: “The heart rate is still up there. Two days ago, we could not chase 240 and small chases like this, the wicket was easy. How about Chahal tonight? He actually had a fitness test before the game tonight. I asked him if he was okay, he said he was ready to go.”

Ponting added: “Even if we had lost that game, I could not have been prouder of us in the second half, 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 half way mark there were not too many people around the world who would have defended that. That might just be about the best win I have ever had as coach.”

Earlier, anticipating an exciting game after PBKS beat Chennai Super Kings in a high-scoring game previously, the home fans were left stunned as their team was bowled out for just 111 in 15.3 overs, the second lowest total this season.

Before the match, there was a buzz around KKR’s bowling strength, especially the spinners and much of the talk was about how the match’s result would depend on how the PBKS batters would match-up against them.

But even before the ball was given to the spinners, pacer Harshit Rana did the early damage to put his team on the top.

PBKS openers Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya gave their team a flying start but then Anrich Nortje, playing his first game this season, and Rana helped KKR get back in the game.

Arya was caught by Ramandeep Singh at long leg off Rana’s bowling in the fourth over, the flow of runs was curtailed. And when captain Shreyas Iyer was sent back two balls later for a two-ball duck — with Ramandeep once again taking a brilliant diving catch off Rana’s bowling, a collapse was triggered.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy added to PBKS’s woes by removing Josh Inglis in the next over. And when Prabhsimran (30) was dismissed by Rana, the home team was reduced to 54/4 in 6 overs.

Nortje took his first wicket of the season by sending back the in-form Nehal Wadhera (10). Shashank Singh tried to get things going and added a vital 18 runs to the total.

The dismal innings ended when another debutant in the match, Xavier Bartlett, was run out in the 16th over with Arshdeep Singh on the other end.

In reply, the PBKS attack was spurred on by Marco Jansen who removed Sunil Narine (5) in the first over. Then, Bartlett made an impact on his IPL debut by getting Quinton de Kock’s wicket for two runs.

Thereafter, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane (17) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (37) got their team back on the track by stitching a useful 55-run partnership and it looked like they had done enough for their team to seal victory.

But then leg-spinner Chahal came into the picture. He started by taking Rahane’s wicket using his experience for 17 runs. Then, he ended Raghuvanshi’s stay, reducing KKR 72/4 in 9.1 overs.

It got worse for the visitors when Glenn Maxwell chipped in with Venkatesh Iyer’s wicket in the very next over.

Chahal kept the pressure on from the other end, taking Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh’s wickets too. Russell went after him but in the end played one big shot too many.

“I’ll take the blame, played the wrong shot, was missing, but it started from there,” said KKR skipper Rahane. “I didn’t want to take a chance at the time. The wicket was not that easy, (but) 111 was chaseable... I thought we were reckless, should take full responsibility as a unit. Too many things going through my head. I need to keep myself really calm and think about what I’m going to talk to the boys.”

Read Also: KKR CEO Venky Mysore Meets Shreyas Iyer for the First Time Post-Retention Controversy Following PBKS' Historic Victory

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