Lowest Powerplay Score In IPL History

In cricket, the powerplay is meant to be a time for teams to score big runs and hit powerful shots. But, sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Instead of flying starts, teams face tough situations where they lose wickets quickly and score very few runs.

Here, we’ll look at the top 10 teams that had the lowest powerplay scores in IPL history. These teams hoped for a strong beginning but ended up with a struggle as they lost many wickets while the field restrictions were still on.

RR vs RCB, IPL 2009 – 14/2

In the 2009 IPL tournament, something surprising happened. The defending champions, Rajasthan Royals, recorded the lowest powerplay score in IPL history. The 2009 season was played in South Africa, which had different playing conditions than India, where Rajasthan had won the 2008 title.

The pitch in South Africa gave bowlers some help, especially the seamers, with swing and sideways movement. Both teams had a rough start. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) managed only 29 runs during the powerplay, almost making it to the list of lowest powerplay scores ever in IPL.

Rajasthan Royals, chasing a target of just 134 runs, found themselves at 14/2 by the end of their powerplay. It wasn’t the worst situation, but they still ended up being bowled out for just 58 runs, which was the lowest total in IPL history at the time and the second-lowest in any professional T20 match.

RCB’s Praveen Kumar was the star of the powerplay, finishing his spell with impressive figures of 3 overs, 7 runs, and 2 wickets. These are the kind of stats you usually see in test matches, not T20 cricket!

SRH vs RR, IPL 2022 – 14/3

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had a tough start to their 2022 IPL season, matching the lowest powerplay score in the tournament’s history. Chasing a huge target of 211 runs set by a strong Rajasthan Royals batting line-up, SRH struggled on a green pitch with a relatively young and less experienced batting group.

A lot depended on their captain, Kane Williamson, to guide the team through the early overs. But he faced fellow New Zealander Trent Boult, who used the swinging conditions to make trouble, even for a world-class player like Williamson.

At the other end, Prasidh Krishna gave perfect support to Boult. His high bowling action got extra movement off the pitch, making it hard for the SRH batters. He managed to get Williamson out, with the ball edging to Padikkal at slip after a juggle by keeper Sanju Samson.

Boult and Prasidh Krishna were so effective that they bowled through the entire powerplay. Boult ended with figures of 1 for 8, while Prasidh Krishna took 2 wickets for just 2 runs, making it a nightmare start for SRH.

CSK vs KKR, IPL 2011 – 15/2

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced a tough time on a slow wicket at Eden Gardens, leading to their lowest powerplay score in IPL history.

The pitch and some excellent bowling from the home team made things difficult, but it also seemed like CSK never really got going. They ended their innings at 114/4 in 20 overs, suggesting they could have taken more risks earlier in the game.

Captain MS Dhoni’s decision to bat first might not have been the best call, especially in a match affected by rain and decided by the DLS method.

CSK struggled in the powerplay, scoring just 15/2 while playing 25 dot balls and failing to hit a single boundary. This slow start cost them, as they couldn’t build enough momentum to chase a higher total later on.

CSK vs DC, IPL 2015 – 16/1

In IPL 2015, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) recorded another low powerplay score, this time against Delhi Capitals (DC). Surprisingly, this happened despite CSK having star players like Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, and Suresh Raina in their top order.

What makes this even more worst is that Delhi Capitals were missing their top three wicket-takers for the season: Imran Tahir, Amit Mishra, and Nathan Coulter-Nile.

This match featured one of the best teams, as CSK finished at the top of the table, against one of the weakest, with DC ending near the bottom. Yet, CSK still posted the third-lowest powerplay score in IPL history.

Interestingly, early wickets weren’t the issue this time. CSK didn’t lose their first wicket until the last ball of the powerplay.

However, DC bowled two maiden overs during this period, which is one of the highest ever recorded in an IPL powerplay. This slow start put CSK on the back foot, making it harder for them to build momentum later in the match.

CSK vs RCB, IPL 2019 – 16/1

The opening match of the 2019 IPL season wasn’t exactly the most exciting game for T20 fans. On a slow, spinning pitch in Chennai, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) struggled and were bowled out for just 70 runs.

The home team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), took their time chasing the small target, eventually winning in the 18th over. The run rate in the match barely reached 4 runs per over, a pace more common in Test cricket than fast-paced T20 games.

Shane Watson had a rough start, scoring a 10-ball duck, making it the worst powerplay score by a batsman in IPL history when considering balls faced.

At the other end, Ambati Rayudu slowly added 12 runs from 20 balls, with half of those coming from a six off Navdeep Saini, the only fast bowler RCB used during this low-scoring powerplay.

KKR Vs RCB, IPL 2020 – 17/4

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a nightmare start to their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), as poor batting from their top order and outstanding bowling by Mohammed Siraj ended the contest early.

By the time just 3.5 overs had passed, KKR was already 4 wickets down, leaving experienced players Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik with no choice but to survive the remaining 15 balls of the powerplay, scoring only 3 runs.

Mohammed Siraj was unstoppable during this phase. At one point, he had bowled 2 overs, both maidens, and taken 3 wickets, putting KKR’s batters under immense pressure. Siraj’s accurate and powerful bowling made it nearly impossible for KKR to recover, sealing RCB’s dominance early in the game.

MI Vs KXIP, IPL 2015 – 17/3

Losing your main batsman and captain in the second ball of the innings is never a good start, and that’s exactly what happened when Mumbai Indians faced Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal put Mumbai in a tough spot right from the beginning. KXIP had already built strong momentum, thanks to George Bailey’s quick 61 from 32 balls, which turned out to be the match-winning knock.

In their reply, Mumbai struggled, losing 3 wickets in the powerplay. At one point, they were in deep trouble at 59 for 6, facing what could have been a crushing defeat.

However, Harbhajan Singh fought back bravely, smashing 64 runs off just 24 balls, giving Mumbai some hope, though it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.

RCB Vs CSK, IPL 2014 – 17/1

If you’ve been paying close attention, you might have noticed that most of the lowest powerplay scores in IPL history included either RCB or CSK.

On a tricky pitch, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) posted 138 runs after batting first. RCB faced a tough challenge as they were held to just 17 runs at the end of the powerplay. Interestingly, 9 of those runs came in the first over, with Parthiv Patel trying to be aggressive.

But after his dismissal, two IPL legends, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, decided to play cautiously, scoring only one run in the last two overs of the powerplay.

Gayle, known for his explosive batting, played one of his slowest innings in T20 cricket. However, AB de Villiers and Yuvraj Singh took charge later and helped RCB chase the target, winning the game on the second-last ball of the match.

RR Vs KKR, IPL 2021 – 17/4

Rajasthan Royals had a tough end to their 2021 IPL season, with hopes of reaching the playoffs fading fast after two poor batting performances. First, they struggled against Mumbai Indians, scoring just 90 for 9 in 20 overs. Things only got worse in their match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Rajasthan lost Yashasvi Jaiswal on the third ball of the powerplay, but the real setback came when they lost their captain, Sanju Samson, in the next over. Samson had been the only consistent performer for the team that season, and with his dismissal, any hope of chasing KKR’s target of 171 quickly disappeared.

Lockie Ferguson made things even harder for Rajasthan, taking two wickets in three balls, leaving them at 13 for 4 by the end of the fourth over.

It was only a fortunate edge from Shivam Dube past the keeper that saved the Royals from setting another record for the lowest powerplay score in IPL history. Interestingly, KKR used five different bowlers in the powerplay, keeping the pressure on Rajasthan throughout.

RR Vs MI, IPL 2011 – 18/1

This match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) turned out to be a low-scoring affair. Mumbai struggled and could only manage 94 runs in their 20 overs. Rajasthan, determined not to lose early wickets, chose to play carefully from the beginning.

In a surprising move, RR promoted Johan Botha to bat at number 3. Though the team had a slow start, resulting in a low powerplay score, Botha played a steady knock, scoring 45 runs.

He also took 3 wickets in the first innings, making him the clear choice for the Man of the Match. Despite the slow pace, Rajasthan managed to chase down the small target and secure the win.

List Of IPL Lowest Powerplay Scores

Year	Team	Score
2009	RR vs RCB	14/2
2022	SRH vs RR	14/3
2011	CSK vs KKR	15/2
2015	CSK vs DC	16/1
2019	CSK vs RCB	16/1
2020	KKR vs RCB	17/4
2015	MI vs KXIP	17/3
2014	RCB vs CSK	17/1
2021	RR vs KKR	17/4
2011	RR vs MI	18/1