April 26, 2024. Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
KKR had posted 261 for 6. The Eden Gardens crowd was celebrating. A 262-run target in T20 cricket, at Eden Gardens, with dew expected felt safe.
Punjab Kings needed the highest successful chase in T20 cricket history just to win this match. Jonny Bairstow scored 108* off 48 balls. Shashank Singh scored 68* off 28 balls. Both not out. The Eden Gardens crowd went silent. PBKS’s 262/2 became the highest successful chase in T20 cricket history in any league, anywhere in the world.
Then, exactly one year later, in IPL 2025, PBKS posted 111 all out. They defended it. KKR were bowled out for 95. The highest-ever T20 chase. The lowest-ever IPL total successfully defended. Same two teams. One year apart.
Here is the complete Kolkata Knight Riders vs Punjab Kings timeline. Every season from IPL 2008 to IPL 2026, every turning point, and every moment that makes this the most statistically extreme rivalry in IPL history.
Head-to-Head at a Glance: 36 Matches
KKR 21 Wins vs PBKS 13 Wins (2 No Results)
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The Duality Record: What No Other IPL Rivalry Can Claim
PBKS hold two of the most extreme records in T20 cricket history and both came against the same opponent (KKR):
- Highest successful T20 chase ever: 262/2 (IPL 2024, Eden Gardens)
- Lowest total ever defended in IPL history: 111 (IPL 2025, Mullanpur)
No other rivalry in the IPL’s 19-year history not MI vs CSK, not RCB vs KKR, not any other matchup holds both the highest and lowest extreme batting records simultaneously.
When people debate which IPL rivalry produces the most extraordinary cricket, the answer is not the most famous franchises. It is KKR vs PBKS. The 2024 and 2025 meetings produced T20 records that will likely stand for decades. The fact that they happened in consecutive seasons against the same opponent makes this the most statistically extreme two-year period in the rivalry’s 18-year history.
2008–2013: Building the Foundation (KKR Dominate Early)
KKR won the majority of early encounters against KXIP (Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings).
The 2010 season was split KXIP won one, KKR one. The 2011 season was split again. The 2013 season was split PBKS won by 7 runs (DLS) in one match; KKR won by 5 wickets in the second.
KKR’s 2008–2013 advantage in this rivalry came from Eden Gardens. KKR’s home ground produced tracks that suited Narine’s off-spin and their pace attack. PBKS, playing home matches at PCA Mohali, could replicate that advantage but KKR’s overall squad depth in the pre-2014 era gave them the wins in neutral or away conditions.
2014: The IPL Final The Rivalry’s Most Important Match
Wriddhiman Saha 115*. The Innings That Won the Title for PBKS… Then Was Surpassed
IPL 2014 Final. Stadium (UAE). Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders.
Wriddhiman Saha batting for Kings XI Punjab scored 115* in the IPL 2014 Final. It remains the highest individual score by either player in any meeting between the two franchises including the 2024 record match.
Manish Pandey (94*) and Yusuf Pathan’s batting anchored KKR’s chase against Saha’s 115*. KKR defended what PBKS set, winning their second IPL title.
Saha’s 115* was the greatest individual innings in this rivalry’s history going into the Final and it still wasn’t enough. KKR’s team batting depth, anchored by their middle order, overhauled the target. The 2014 Final is the proof that this rivalry is genuinely competitive at its absolute highest stakes when both teams have their best performers contributing, the match goes down to individual brilliance vs batting depth, and KKR’s depth has historically won those contests.
PBKS have reached exactly one IPL Final in their history 2014. KKR have reached three (2012, 2014, 2021). When PBKS finally made their only Final, they faced KKR and lost. That context makes the 2024 Eden Gardens record chase feel like PBKS’s statement of account: “We couldn’t win the Final in 2014. But we produced T20 cricket history against you in 2024.”
2015–2019: KKR’s Sustained Dominance
2015: A 1-Wicket Thriller at Eden Gardens
May 9, 2015. Eden Gardens, Kolkata. PBKS 183/5, KKR 184/9 in 19.5 overs. KKR won by 1 wicket.
KKR needed 184. They were 183/9 with 1 ball remaining. The 10th wicket was not out. KKR won by 1 wicket off the final delivery.
This 2015 result established the pattern that defines KKR at Eden Gardens in this rivalry. They find a way to win close matches at home. Between 2015 and 2019, KKR won 5 of 6 matches against PBKS, 4 of which were at Eden Gardens. The “last-wicket-wins-it” game in 2015 was the earliest evidence of KKR’s Eden Gardens nerve in this fixture.
2016: KKR Sweep Both Meetings
April 19, 2016 (Mohali): KKR 150/4 (18.2 ov) vs PBKS 149/6 — KKR won by 6 wickets.
May 4, 2016 (Eden Gardens): PBKS 162/5, KKR 164/6 — KKR won by 2 runs.
KKR swept both meetings in 2016. Their third season sweep in this rivalry (after 2008 and 2012).
2017–2019: KKR Win 5 of 6 Meetings
From 2017 to 2019, KKR and PBKS played six matches — KKR won five.
| Match | Date | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 M1 | Apr 13 | KKR | 8 wkts |
| 2017 M2 | May 9 | PBKS | 14 runs |
| 2018 M1 | Apr 21 | PBKS | 9 wkts |
| 2018 M2 | May 12 | KKR | 31 runs |
| 2019 M1 | Mar 27 | KKR | 28 runs |
| 2019 M2 | May 3 | KKR | 7 wkts |
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PBKS’s two wins in 2017–2019 were both at Mohali. KKR’s five wins were split between both venues. The pattern is clear PBKS can win at home (Mohali) against KKR. Away from Mohali, KKR have historically had the better record in this rivalry.
2020–2022: The UAE Era. PBKS Show Their Teeth
October 2020: PBKS 168/5 vs KKR 165/7. PBKS Won by 5 Wickets (Dubai)
October 1, 2020. Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
KKR posted 165/7 on a slow Dubai surface. PBKS chased 166/5 in 19.3 overs.
PBKS’s chase was anchored by Mandeep Singh and Chris Gayle. their experience on UAE surfaces (both had played there before) gave them the tempo management that KKR’s bowling attack could not disrupt.
October 2020: KKR Won the Second Match by 2 Runs (Abu Dhabi)
October 10, 2020. Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. PBKS 124/7, KKR 127/2 in 16.3 overs. KKR won by 8 wickets.
The two UAE matches in 2020 were split producing one of the few seasons where PBKS and KKR genuinely divided the encounter records equally.
2021: UAE Again Split Season
April 26, 2021 (Ahmedabad): KKR 5 wkts. October 1, 2021 (Dubai): PBKS 5 wkts.
Both teams took one win each in the 2021 IPL. Split by hemisphere, season phase, and surface.
2023: KKR’s Season And PBKS’s DLS Luck
PBKS’s 2023 Match 1 win came via DLS a rain-affected result. KKR won the second meeting comfortably. The 2023 season split was about conditions more than cricket PBKS’s DLS win means KKR effectively held the competitive match advantage in 2023.
2024: The Night Cricket History Was Made at Eden Gardens
April 26, 2024. Eden Gardens, Kolkata. IPL 2024 Match 42.
This is where numbers stop being sufficient. We need to walk through it.
KKR 261/6: The 138-Run Salt-Narine Opening Stand
KKR batted first. Phil Salt opened with Sunil Narine.
Salt and Narine put on 138 off 70 balls.
Both scored at over 200 strike rate. In the same innings. Against PBKS’s full bowling attack. By the time Salt fell, KKR had 138 on the board in 12 overs. The match was already being described as impossible to defend by cricket commentators.
KKR finished at 261/6. Their highest score in IPL history at that point.
Target: 262 runs. In 20 overs. At Eden Gardens.
PBKS 262/2 in 18.4 Overs: The World Record Chase
PBKS chased. Here is how the chase happened over three phases:
Phase 1 (Overs 1–9): Prabhsimran 54 off 20 balls set the powerplay tone.
Prabhsimran Singh scored 54 off just 20 balls in the powerplay. PBKS were at approximately 100/1 after 9 overs on track.
Phase 2 (Overs 10–15): The squeeze PBKS fell to 168/2 needing 94 off 30 balls.
This is where the match became extraordinary. PBKS needed a run rate of 18.8 per over off the last 5 overs to win. Standard T20 analysis says this is unreachable.
Phase 3 (Overs 16–18.4): Bairstow + Shashank The 96 Runs Off 11 Balls Partnership
Bairstow 108* off 48 + Shashank 68* off 28. The Anatomy of the Impossible Chase
Bairstow and Shashank Singh were both not out. They stayed together from over 12 to the end. Their partnership added over 130 runs.
Bairstow hit 8 sixes. Shashank hit 5 sixes. Between them: 13 sixes in the death overs.
42 Sixes, 523 Combined Runs: What Made This Historically Unique
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The 2024 Eden Gardens match is not just the highest successful T20 chase it is the match where the “defensive ceiling” in T20 cricket was permanently raised. Before April 26, 2024, a 260+ total in T20 cricket was considered nearly unassailable. After Bairstow and Shashank, every T20 batting order in every league knows that 260 is not safe. This match changed the psychology of T20 cricket worldwide and it happened between KKR and PBKS.
2025: PBKS Defend 111. The Lowest Total Ever Successfully Defended in IPL
April 15, 2025. Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur (New Chandigarh).
PBKS batted first and posted 111 all out in 15.3 overs.
The PBKS dressing room thought they were going to lose. 111 all out against KKR’s batting unit which included Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell. Looked woefully insufficient.
Chahal 4/28 + Jansen 3/17. How PBKS Defended the Indefensible
KKR batted and were bowled out for 95 in 15.1 overs.
Chahal’s 4/28 on the Mullanpur surface which offers some natural turn was the decisive bowling performance. KKR’s batters, conditioned to attack from ball one, found that Chahal’s length and Jansen’s swing gave them no foothold. From 30/3 in 7 overs, KKR’s top order had already conceded the initiative. Narine fell cheaply. Venkatesh Iyer fell to Jansen. By over 12, KKR were mathematically out.
KKR faced 111 to win a total that even an average T20 batting lineup would expect to chase comfortably. They were bowled out for 95. The failure was not about talent. It was about pitch-reading. KKR’s power hitters play best on flat surfaces with pace. The Mullanpur track offered variable bounce and turn, and PBKS’s bowling combination (two spinners, left-arm pace) exploited it precisely. KKR had no adaptation plan for the conditions.
111 all out successfully defended remains the lowest total ever defended in IPL history. It broke the previous record of 119 (also defended in an earlier IPL season).
IPL 2025 Match 44 (Eden Gardens): Abandoned PBKS 201/4 Unused
The second 2025 meeting at Eden Gardens was abandoned due to rain.
PBKS had already posted 201/4 in their innings. KKR’s chase never started. Both teams received 1 point. After their 111-run defended win at Mullanpur and a rained-out 201/4 at Eden Gardens, PBKS walked away from the 2025 KKR meetings undefeated. KKR’s season ultimately ended with them finishing eighth outside the playoffs.
2026: Match 12 Abandoned KKR 25/2 When Rain Arrived
April 6, 2026. Eden Gardens, Kolkata. IPL 2026 Match 12.
KKR won the toss. They elected to bat first.
KKR: 25/2 in 3.4 overs when rain ended play.
PBKS came into this match having started IPL 2026 2–0, sitting atop the IPL points table. The abandonment meant PBKS remained unbeaten with 5 points leapfrogging RCB to the top spot. For KKR who had started IPL 2026 with two successive defeats and had no wins the 1 point was their first of the season. They overtook Gujarat Titans on the table with the abandonment point.
KKR’s recent record in completed IPL matches against PBKS reads: lost by 16 runs (2025, Mullanpur), abandoned (2025, Eden Gardens), abandoned (2026, Eden Gardens). KKR have not completed a full innings while batting against PBKS since the 2024 world-record match. That is a remarkable run of incomplete contests in one rivalry but it also means the next completed meeting between these teams will carry enormous psychological weight from both the 2024 record and the 2025 disaster.
Sunil Narine: The Rival PBKS Could Never Solve
36 Wickets Against Punjab Kings IPL Record vs Single Opponent
Sunil Narine has taken 36 wickets against PBKS in IPL cricket. The most wickets taken by any bowler against a single opponent in IPL history.
Across 18 seasons, every PBKS batting lineup from Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist’s era to Prabhsimran Singh and Jonny Bairstow’s era has faced Narine. His career wicket tally against one specific franchise outpaces any bowler-team pairing in the tournament.
How Narine takes PBKS wickets:
- Right-arm mystery spin: carrom ball variation that PBKS batters have historically misread
- Pace variation: his off-breaks arrive at 85–90 kph, unsettling batters expecting pace from a pacier IPL surface
- Death bowling: Narine has bowled at death for KKR against PBKS repeatedly in their tense finishes (2015, 2016, 2019)
Narine’s 36-wicket record against PBKS means he averages exactly 2 PBKS wickets per IPL match over 18 seasons. No other bowler-franchise combination comes close. When you understand this, the 2024 Eden Gardens match takes on a new dimension: PBKS chased 262 with Narine in the opposition and taking his powerplay wickets. They still produced the world record.
Complete Season-by-Season Table (2008–2026)
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5 Moments That Define This Rivalry
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the head-to-head record between KKR and Punjab Kings in IPL?
Ans. KKR lead PBKS 21–13 with 2 no results from 36 IPL matches through IPL 2026. KKR’s win percentage is approximately 61.7%.
Q2: What happened in KKR vs PBKS IPL 2024 at Eden Gardens?
Ans. KKR scored 261/6 (Phil Salt 75 off 37, Sunil Narine 71 off 32 — 138-run opening stand). PBKS chased 262/2 in 18.4 overs — Jonny Bairstow 108* off 48 and Shashank Singh 68* off 28. PBKS won by 8 wickets. This was the highest successful chase in T20 cricket history, with 42 sixes and 523 combined runs.
Q3: What was the IPL 2025 KKR vs PBKS result?
Ans. PBKS posted 111 all out at Mullanpur (April 15, 2025). KKR were bowled out for 95 in 15.1 overs — Chahal 4/28, Jansen 3/17. PBKS won by 16 runs. 111 is the lowest total ever successfully defended in IPL history. The second 2025 meeting was abandoned (PBKS 201/4 unused).
Q4: What is the lowest score defended in IPL history?
Ans. 111 all out by Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders on April 15, 2025 at Mullanpur — the lowest total ever successfully defended in IPL history. KKR were bowled out for 95 chasing 112.
Q5: What happened in KKR vs PBKS IPL 2026 Match 12?
Ans. KKR won the toss and elected to bat at Eden Gardens on April 6, 2026. KKR reached 25/2 in 3.4 overs before rain stopped play. The match was abandoned without a result — both teams received 1 point.
Q6: How many wickets has Sunil Narine taken against Punjab Kings in IPL?
Ans. Sunil Narine has taken 36 wickets against Punjab Kings (KXIP/PBKS) in IPL cricket — the most wickets taken by any bowler against a single opponent in IPL history.
Q7: Did KKR and Punjab Kings ever meet in an IPL Final?
Ans. Yes — KKR beat Kings XI Punjab in the IPL 2014 Final. Wriddhiman Saha scored 115* for KXIP — the highest individual score in any match between these two teams. KKR won by 3 wickets to claim their second IPL title.
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