T20 cricket is known for chaos. Boundaries fly, totals rocket past 200, and the format’s quickfire nature makes it a batter’s playground. But every now and then, the game flips. The scoreboard crawls. Big hitters swing and miss. Suddenly, 90 looks like a mountain.
In the IPL, a league stacked with the world’s finest hitters, low scores aren’t supposed to happen. Yet, they do—and when they do, they’re unforgettable. Fans remember them. Bowlers build legacies on them. Coaches lose sleep over them.
So, what counts as a low score in IPL terms? Generally, anything under 100 raises eyebrows. It’s not just a number—it’s a statement. It signals a collapse, a complete failure to adapt, or sheer brilliance from the opposition with the ball.
IPL 2023 gave us more of these moments than most seasons. Teams folded under pressure. Pitches behaved badly. Bowlers roared back into relevance. Suddenly, talk about bat dominance gave way to chatter about crumbling batting orders. And the truth was clear—even the best lineups can crumble. That’s the beauty of the IPL—and a big reason why sports betting in India has seen such a surge, as fans try to predict the unpredictable in a league where momentum shifts in mere overs.
The Lowest Scores in IPL History: A Timeline of Tumbles
Over the years, a few teams have found themselves on the wrong end of disaster. Despite towering batting depth and aggressive gameplans, sides have been bundled out for shockingly low totals. From the early years of the league to 2025, the trend continues. Some of the lowest innings totals are still talked about today—not for brilliance, but for embarrassment.
Take RCB’s 49 all-out against KKR in 2017. That wasn’t just a loss. It was a total collapse of confidence. No sixes. No partnerships. Just relentless pressure from Kolkata’s bowlers. And it set the record for the lowest score in IPL history—a record that still stands as of 2025.
Here’s a breakdown of the ten lowest team scores across all IPL seasons:
Top 10 Lowest Team Totals in IPL History (2008–2025)
| Rank | Team | Score | Opponent | Year | Venue | Result |
| 1 | RCB | 49 | KKR | 2017 | Eden Gardens | Lost by 82 runs |
| 2 | Rajasthan Royals | 58 | RCB | 2023 | Jaipur | Lost by 112 runs |
| 3 | Delhi Daredevils | 66 | MI | 2017 | Feroz Shah Kotla | Lost by 146 runs |
| 4 | Delhi Capitals | 67 | KXIP | 2020 | Dubai | Lost by 10 wickets |
| 5 | KKR | 67 | MI | 2008 | Wankhede | Lost by 8 wickets |
| 6 | RCB | 68 | SRH | 2017 | Bengaluru | Lost by 118 runs |
| 7 | RCB | 70 | CSK | 2019 | Chennai | Lost by 7 wickets |
| 8 | CSK | 79 | MI | 2013 | Wankhede | Lost by 60 runs |
| 9 | RCB | 82 | KKR | 2008 | Eden Gardens | Lost by 140 runs |
| 10 | PBKS (KXIP) | 88 | RCB | 2015 | Mohali | Lost by 138 runs |
Multiple entries from the same franchises—particularly RCB—highlight how certain teams have struggled across different seasons. And with 2023’s Rajasthan collapse now etched in history, it’s clear this trend isn’t going away.
What Causes a Batting Collapse in IPL?
T20 isn’t forgiving. One mistake snowballs. A bad shot brings two more. Pressure builds. Wickets fall. Within minutes, a chase or setup turns into survival. But why does this happen to even the strongest sides?
Swing-friendly pitches are a major culprit—especially early in the season or in night matches. Bowlers like Mohammad Shami or Bhuvneshwar Kumar thrive when the ball moves. Batters expecting flat decks suddenly find the ball hooping both ways.
Then comes the mental side. Playoffs, crunch matches, or needing points for qualification mess with heads. Some go into their shells. Others swing wildly. Both approaches often fail.
And then, the bowlers. Think Rashid Khan—he doesn’t just take wickets. He squeezes runs, builds pressure, forces mistakes. Add Jasprit Bumrah or Yuzvendra Chahal, and you’ve got chaos.
There’s also over-aggression. T20 rewards it, sure. But reckless hitting with no plan? That’s collapse territory.
Virat Kohli once summed it up perfectly:
“In T20, momentum swings fast. One bad over and your whole lineup’s on edge.”
It’s not one factor. It’s a storm of them.
IPL 2023: A Season of Surprising Slumps
IPL 2023 was odd. High-scoring games happened, yes, but so did jaw-dropping collapses. The pitches, especially in places like Lucknow and Chennai, gripped. Slowed down. Teams chasing 140 fell short. Others couldn’t reach 100.
One of the standout flops? Rajasthan Royals being bowled out for just 58 against RCB in Jaipur. It was surreal. Boult, Jaiswal, Buttler—all gone within ten overs. Siraj and Hasaranga ran riot. It wasn’t just a defeat. It was a message: no score is too low to appear in IPL again.
Here’s a quick look at the worst batting performances from last season:
Top 5 Lowest Scores in IPL 2023
- Rajasthan Royals – 58 vs RCB (Jaipur)
- Lucknow Super Giants – 73 vs GT (Ahmedabad)
- Kolkata Knight Riders – 87 vs CSK (Chennai)
- Delhi Capitals – 90 vs MI (Delhi)
- Punjab Kings – 92 vs SRH (Hyderabad)
A couple of these entered the all-time bottom ten. Rajasthan’s 58, in particular, became the second-lowest score in IPL history. Fans couldn’t believe it. Analysts blamed poor shot selection and slow wickets. Coaches pointed at mindset.
One thing was clear—2023 wasn’t a one-off. Teams started to rethink how deep their batting needed to be, and if attacking from ball one was still the best plan.
Bowling Brilliance: The Architects Behind the Carnage
Low scores don’t happen in a vacuum. Behind every collapse is a bowling masterclass. In 2023 and earlier, a few bowlers built a reputation as wreckers of batting lineups.
Mohammed Shami had a standout season in 2023, combining lethal swing with pinpoint control. He removed top orders like clockwork. Rashid Khan, as always, was unplayable in the middle overs. Batsmen either blocked or perished. Then there was Kuldeep Yadav, who mixed flight and spin with unnerving precision.
Here are some of the most destructive spells in IPL history:
Top 5 Bowling Spells That Triggered Low Scores (All-Time)
- Sohail Tanvir – 6/14 (RR vs CSK, 2008)
- Alzarri Joseph – 6/12 (MI vs SRH, 2019)
- Andre Russell – 4/20 (KKR vs RCB, 2017)
- Mohammed Shami – 5/18 (GT vs DC, 2023)
- Rashid Khan – 4/11 (SRH vs PBKS, 2021)
These weren’t just about wickets. They broke partnerships, choked runs, and flipped games on their heads.
Bowlers may not always grab headlines in T20. But when low scores in IPL dominate the story, they’re the real heroes behind the wreckage.
Fans’ Reactions & Cultural Impact
If there’s one thing the IPL has mastered, it’s theatre. And nothing triggers fan frenzy quite like a shocking low score in IPL. It’s not just a game going sideways. It’s social media exploding within minutes. It’s memes, rage, heartbreak, and humour all packed into a 140-character post.
The moment a big name collapses, Twitter catches fire. “RCB 49 all out” isn’t a memory—it’s a meme genre. IPL 2023 gave fans plenty to talk about. Rajasthan Royals’ 58 sparked everything from conspiracy jokes to side-by-side comparisons with under-13 scores. Some fans laughed. Others didn’t say a word—they were too stunned.
Yet in 2023, the tone shifted. Beyond the banter, you could sense a smarter conversation. Threads analyzing the Lucknow pitch. Debates on dew. YouTubers breaking down powerplay data. The game had evolved, and so had the audience.
How Fans React to Low Scores in IPL Matches
- Instant memes and trending hashtags
- Shock and trolling directed at big players
- Tactical dissection of pitch, bowling plans, and match-ups
- Emotional fallout: heartbreak, frustration, pride (if the team defends it)
- Nostalgia: fans recalling older collapses, comparing records
Low scores give fans what high-scoring matches sometimes don’t—raw drama. You know something’s gone horribly wrong. And people can’t look away.
There’s a reason why these moments stay etched in memory. It’s not just the score—it’s who fell, how quickly, and how helpless they looked. It’s watching million-dollar squads fumble like schoolboys. It’s David beating Goliath when no one gave him a chance.
Lessons Learned & Tactical Evolutions
If 2023 taught IPL teams anything, it’s that collapse doesn’t discriminate. Star-studded or rebuilding, any team can crumble if they don’t get the basics right. That realisation changed how franchises approached the game in 2024 and beyond.
The first shift? Deeper batting lineups. Teams stacked the lower-middle order with guys who could bat—not just bowlers with bats. Impact players weren’t just flash finishers anymore; they had to think, adapt, survive.
Second? Balance. A clear separation between anchors and finishers returned. The all-out attack mantra was tempered. You still had your hitters, but suddenly, a guy who could absorb pressure—like Rahane or Williamson—was back in fashion.
Third? Smart risk-taking replaced blind aggression. Chasing 120 on a turning track? Maybe don’t try to hit every ball out of the ground in the powerplay. Defending 130 in Chennai? Maybe don’t go for sixes in the first ten balls—set a base, then go.
Coaches looked at the low score in IPL 2023 collapses and realised they weren’t just flukes. They were signs—warnings of what happens when ego outruns strategy.
Teams studied the patterns:
- Collapses often started in overs 3–6
- Wrist-spinners had the highest strike rates during that phase
- Batting second in tricky conditions had a higher collapse rate than setting a total
By 2025, squads weren’t just picked on firepower. They were picked on crisis handling. And that shift made all the difference in crunch moments.
The Beauty of the Unexpected
The IPL sells chaos, and there’s nothing more chaotic than watching a team sink for 70. One minute they’re cruising. The next, they’re six down in the Powerplay.
That’s why low scores in IPL aren’t just rare—they’re legendary. They flip narratives. They make you question everything you thought you knew. They’re reminders that this game, for all its data and analysis, still thrives on moments no one sees coming.
These aren’t dull, one-sided affairs. These are the matches people remember. Because when someone defends 90 with grit and precision, when a bowler drags his side to victory defending a total others scoffed at, that’s IPL magic.
So, forget the assumption that high scores are everything. It’s the stumbles, the collapses, the unexpected wins that turn this league from entertainment to obsession.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is considered a low score in IPL?
Anything under 100 is typically seen as a low score. In slow conditions or big matches, even totals of 120–130 can become tricky to chase.
2. What is the lowest IPL score ever?
RCB holds the record with 49 all out against KKR in 2017—still unmatched as of 2025.
3. How many low scores occurred in IPL 2023?
At least three teams were bowled out for under 100 in 2023, including a brutal collapse by Rajasthan Royals, who were skittled for 58.
4. Why do teams collapse in T20 despite powerful batting lineups?
It’s the format. Fast bowling, tough pitches, mental pressure, and reckless intent combine. One mistake becomes three. And suddenly, the lineup’s gone.