We take a look at the lowest totals in IPL history.
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore stunned at Eden Gardens (2017)
Things went from bad to worse for Virat Kohli’s RCB, who recorded the worst score in IPL history in their fifth loss of the tournament on Sunday. The best team on paper slumped to 49 all out chasing down a gettable 132, as their underachieving stigma crushed them in the worst possible way. Superstars Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers recorded scores of 7,0 and 8 respectively, as their side were completely demolished in 9.4 overs. Hats off to Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes and Colin de Grandhomme who took three wickets each, as the Kolkata Knight Riders claimed an 82-run victory.
2. Rajasthan Royals shot down by Anil Kumble (2009)
It is ironic that we bring up this match next, as RCB were responsible for the previous lowest total, before embarrassingly beating the record that they were responsible for in Cape Town. In contrast to their match against KKR on Sunday, RCB set the mediocre total of 133-8. Rahul Dravid’s 48-ball 66 and captain Kevin Pietersen’s 32 off 30 balls highlighted RCB’s performance as they steadied the ship after losing three wickets for 17 runs. Kumble then put in a magnificent performance for RCB taking 5-5 in 3.1 overs, as RR were skittled for 58 in 15.1 overs.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders’ inaugural IPL collapse (2008)
During the inaugural IPL tournament in 2008, it was the Kolkata Knight Riders who held the unenviable record of the lowest score in the IPL’s brief history. It proved a fantastic toss to win for the Mumbai Indians as they sent the Knight Riders in to bat. South Africa’s Shaun Pollock did the damage up front as he captured figures of 3-12 in his four overs, as the Knight Riders folded to be all out for just 67. Sanath Jayasuriya erased any fears of a tight run-chase as he smashed his way to 48 off just 17 balls and completed a historic eight-wicket victory.
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals (2014)
Yet again the toss was crucial in the Royal Challengers’ clash, but this time it was against the winners of the first edition of the IPL. The Rajasthan Royals won the toss and sent the men from Bangalore in to bat. It proved an inspired decision as the Royal Challengers lost five wickets inside the Powerplay overs for a meagre 17 runs. Mitchell Starc and captain Virat Kohli offered feeble resistance, as they recorded scores of 18 and 21 respectively and limped to 70 all out with Pravin Tambe picking up 4-20 in his allotted overs. The Royals took their time as they hit the winning runs in 13 overs.
5. Crumbling Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s 74 against Deccan Chargers (2011)
Kochi Tuskers Kerala put in a batting display that was a reflection of their eighth-place finish in their debut IPL tournament. Playing in front of their home fans at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi, KTK won the toss and elected to field. A common trend in the matches featuring batting collapses, the team batting first did not set a tough-to-get target. The Deccan Chargers posted only 129-7, with a 47-ball 65 from their captain Kumar Sangakkara reviving their innings after losing three wickets for 20 runs (5.2 overs). Vinay Kumar claimed 3-25 to help restrict the visitors, but his efforts were erased by an awful batting display by his side.
Ishant Sharma and Dale Steyn demolished the KTK attack. Steyn started things off to dismiss Brendon McCullum for a duck in the first over which was followed by Sharma’s demolition job which saw him pick up five wickets to eradicate the top six with 11 runs on the board. Ravindra Jadeja (23) and Thisara Perera (24) did manage to give their team some enlightenment, but the damage was done as they were slaughtered by 55-runs with 3.2 overs remaining.
Photo: BCCI/Cricinfo
