The powerplay overs are usually about big shots and high scoring rates because of field restrictions. But there have been several instances when teams scored paltry totals in the first six overs of an Indian Premier League game. If you are wondering what is the lowest powerplay score in IPL, here’s the top 10 list.
Lowest powerplay score in IPL: Top 10 list
| TEAM | OPPOSITION | SCORE | YEAR |
| Rajasthan Royals | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 14 – 2 | 2009 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajasthan Royals | 14 – 3 | 2022 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | 15 – 2 | 2011 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Delhi Capitals | 16 – 1 | 2015 |
| Chennai Super Kings | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 16 – 1 | 2019 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 17 – 4 | 2020 |
| Mumbai Indians | Kings XI Punjab | 17 – 3 | 2015 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | Chennai Super Kings | 17 – 1 | 2014 |
| Rajasthan Royals | Kolkata Knight Riders | 17 – 4 | 2021 |
| Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | 18 – 1 | 2011 |
Rajasthan Royals – 14 – 2 vs RCB, 2009
The lowest powerplay score in IPL history was recorded by the Rajasthan Royals in 2009, the year when they were the defending champions. On a South African pitch in Cape Town which offered swing to seamers from both teams, the batters found it difficult to get going.
Chasing RCB’s small total of 134 to win, the Royals collected only 14 runs in the powerplay which included losing two wickets. They were eventually bowled out for 58 runs, which was the lowest score in the IPL at that time.
RCB’s Praveen Kumar was the best bowler – he finished the powerplay with just seven runs and two wickets in three overs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad 14 – 3 vs Rajasthan Royals, 2022
In their very first game of IPL 2022, the Sunrisers Hyderabad equalled the record for the lowest powerplay score in IPL history.
In a run chase of 211, the Sunrisers managed to score just 14 runs in the powerplay while losing three wickets.
Kane Williamson was dismissed for the first wicket for 2, followed by Abhishek Sharma and then Nicholas Pooran. RR’s Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna did some fine bowling with the new ball. Hyderabad eventually went on to suffer a 61-run defeat.
Chennai Super Kings 15/2 vs KKR, 2011
Four-time champions Chennai Super Kings hold the team record for having the joint lowest ever powerplay score. They were playing KKR at the Eden Gardens in 2011 when the hosts put up a sensational performance with the ball. The MS Dhoni led side managed only 15 runs with the bat in the powerplay while also losing two wickets, that of Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina. Iqbal Abdulla was KKR’s best bowler – he conceded only 15 runs in his full quota of four overs while also picking a wicket.
CSK eventually put up a total of only 114 runs and KKR won the game by 10 runs via the Duckworth Lewis method.
Chennai Super Kings 16 – 1 vs DC, 2015
The third of the lowest powerplay scores in IPL history is 16 runs by CSK. This came against the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2015. Interestingly, Chennai didn’t lose any wickets till the last ball of the powerplay but two maiden overs meant that Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, the CSK openers, managed only 16 runs in the first six overs. Zaheer Khan was the most exceptional bowler with two wickets for just nine runs in his four overs.
CSK finished with 119 runs in the first innings, which the Capitals hunted down in 16.4 overs.
Chennai Super Kings 16 – 1 vs RCB, 2019
In 2019 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, CSK equalled their own record of having the third-lowest total in the powerplay. This was the first match of the 2019 IPL and it was played on a slow Chennai pitch. Batting first, RCB were all out for just 70. Chasing the small total, CSK had the worst start possible, managing only 16 runs in six overs. Shane Watson’s 10-ball duck was what largely contributed to the unwanted record. Yuzvendra Chahal was the best bowler on the day, conceding just six runs in his four overs including a maiden over and a wicket. But eventually, cameos by the middle order helped CSK cross the line in 17.4 overs.
Kolkata Knight Riders 17 – 4 vs RCB, 2020
In 2020 against RCB, the Kolkata Knight Riders lost four wickets within the first four overs while managing only 17 runs in the powerplay, thus entering the list of the lowest powerplay scores. Rahul Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Tom Banton and Nitish Rana were the batsmen who were dismissed in the powerplay. Mohammed Siraj was the wrecker in chief – in two overs, he bowled two maidens and took three wickets. Together, Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up five wickets between them.
KKR eventually put up a total of 84 on the board, which RCB chased down in 13.3 overs.
Mumbai Indians 17 – 3 vs KXIP, 2015
Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians scored only 17 runs in the powerplay against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in IPL 2015. Batting first, the Punjab Kings posted 177 runs in their 20 overs. Batting second, Mumbai Indians lost three wickets in the powerplay while adding only 17 runs. Rohit Sharma bagged a duck, Aditya Tare scored just seven while Aaron Finch managed eight runs as Mumbai went on to lost the game by 18 runs.
Punjab’s Sandeep Sharma ended the game with best figures of 12 for 1 in his four overs.
Royal Challengers Bangalore 17 – 1 vs CSK, 2014
RCB made 17 runs in the powerplay against CSK in 2014 in Ranchi. It was a low scoring game and chasing just 139 to win, RCB got off to a good start, taking nine runs off the first over. But in the following five overs, they managed just eight runs. Parthiv Patel was dismissed in the second over, after which Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli batted together and managed just a single run off the last two overs of the powerplay. This was one of Gayle’s slowest knocks in T20 history.
Later in the innings, Ab de Villiers and Yuvraj Singh put up a good fight to take RCB over the line in the penultimate ball of the game.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the best bowler for CSK, conceding just 16 runs in his four wickets while picking two wickets, including that of Parthiv Patel.
Rajasthan Royals 17- 4 vs KKR, 2021
In IPL 2021, poor batting from the Royals combined with exceptional bowling by KKR saw the Sanju Samson-led side score only 17 runs in the powerplay and lose four wickets – Yashasvi Jaiswal, skipper Sanju Samson, Liam Livingstone and Anuj Rawat. Lockie Ferguson and Varun Chakravarthy were KKR’s most economical bowlers in that game. Ferguson picked up three wickets for 18 runs while Chakravarthy conceded 14 runs for one wicket.
Eventually the Royals were dismissed for just 85 runs and KKR went on to win the game by 86 runs.
Rajasthan Royals 18 – 1 vs MI, 2011
In 2011 against Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians managed only 94 runs in their 20 overs batting first. But the Royals weren’t impressive either, scoring only 18 runs in the first six overs while also losing a wicket. Only a single run came off the last two overs of the powerplay when Shane Watson and Johan Botha were out in the middle. But both the overseas batsmen later accelerated the scoring rate and helped the Royals win the game by seven wickets.
Ali Murtaza was the most economical bowler for Mumbai Indians with just 15 runs in his four overs.
FAQs
What is the highest powerplay score in IPL history?
The highest powerplay score in IPL history is 100 – 2 by CSK
What is the lowest powerplay score in IPL 2022?
The lowest powerplay score in IPL 2022 is 14 – 3 by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
What was the lowest powerplay score in IPL 2021?
The lowest powerplay score in IPL 2021 was 17 – 4 by Rajasthan Royals.
What is the lowest powerplay score in IPL 2020?
The lowest powerplay score in IPL 2020 is 17 – 4 by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
