PBKS vs KKR IPL 2025 Match 31 Highlights: Chahal leads PBKS to a historic win

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Match 31: Man of the Match

Yuzvendra Chahal was named the player of the match for his match-winning spell as Punjab Kings pulled off the biggest heist. Chahal picked up four wickets and helped the Shreyas Iyer-led side to defend the lowest-ever total in IPL. His scalps included Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh. 

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Match 31: Top Performers

Yuzvendra Chahal - 4/28

Yuzvendra Chahal chose the best night to turn up in the season. The right-arm leg spinner picked up four wickets to turn the match on its head. He had a quiet season leading up to this game but as PBKS turned up to defend the lowest-ever score in the history of the IPL, it is the highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history who won the match for the hosts. 

Chahal dismissed Ajinkya Rahane to trigger the collapse for the defending champions. Even though the KKR skipper should have reviewed and would have been saved by the third umpire. But as it turned out, Rahane opted against a review and it triggered one of the worst collapses in the history of T20 cricket. Chahal then dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh. 

Harshit Rana - 3/25

Harshit Rana changed the momentum of the game with the ball in hand in the first innings. The hosts had started off with a flier thanks to opening batters, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. However, Rana in his first over made a significant impact in the game. The right-handed bowler picked up two wickets in his first over.

He dismissed Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer in the fourth over of the first innings. In his second over, he was hit for a couple of sixes but, Rana bounced back strongly and dismissed PBKS top-scorer, Prabhsimran Singh on the final ball of the powerplay.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Match 31: 1st Innings Summary

The KKR bowlers dominated the first innings and bowled out the hosts for only 111 runs. PBKS after winning the toss and opting to bat first started the match on a pretty big high. Both Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya attacked brilliantly. However, once Harshit Rana came into the attack, KKR bounced back strongly.

The right-arm pacer picked up three wickets in the powerplay to put the hosts on the back foot. Spin twins, Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine bowled with immense accuracy and controlled the middle overs. Their eight overs accounted for four wickets while conceding only 35 runs.

Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2025 Match 31: 2nd Innings Summary

PBKS etched their name in the history books as they successfully defended a score of only 112 runs. Led by Yuzvendra Chahal, the hosts bowled KKR out for 95 runs and created history. The right-arm leg spinner has had a quiet season so far leading up to this game. But he turned up in the most important game. The 34-year-old picked up a wicket in his first over and broke a 55-run stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi by dismissing the skipper. He then accounted for Raghuvanshi, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh’s wickets. 

Chahal received a great deal of support from Marco Jansen and Glenn Maxwell. For the Knight Riders, Angkrish Raghuvanshi was the pick among the batters. The young batter scored 37 runs and it looked like he would seal the win but the dismissal of his skipper put Raghuvanshi under a huge amount of pressure.