Xavier Bartlett concedes boundary with embarrassing fielding blunder on the ropes in PBKS vs KKR IPL 2025 match [Watch]

Australian and Punjab Kings seamer Xavier Bartlett committed an inadvertent fielding blunder in the IPL 2025 game against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mullanpur. Bartlett's expression told the story as he picked up the ball from the boundary line.

The incident occurred in the eighth over of the innings bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Venkatesh Iyer played a conventional sweep. The Aussie seamer, who ran in to the long-leg region, picked up the ball cleanly to throw but it slipped out of his hand. Since Bartlett tried to throw the ball, it was counted as four overthrows and the batters ran a single, five runs were given to the Knight Riders.

Watch the video here of the same:

On the previous delivery, the Haryana-born cricketer had struck to remove the visiting skipper Ajinkya Rahane for a run-a-ball 17, laced with one boundary and a six.

Xavier Bartlett strikes with his second ball on IPL debut as Punjab Kings pull off a heist in Mullanpur

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old, who replaced the injured Lockie Ferguson in the playing eleven, struck with his second ball on IPL debut, getting the better of Quinton de Kock for 2 off 4 deliveries. He shared the new ball with left-arm seamer Marco Jansen and got Punjab the early strike they needed but also leaked 30 runs off his three overs.

Nevertheless, it didn't stop the Punjab Kings from stunning the defending champions as they bowled them out for 95 in 15.1 overs while defending 111. Prabhsimran Singh had top-scored for the home side with 30 as Punjab folded for 111 in an innings that lasted only 15.3 overs. The Knight Riders looked comfortable in the run-chase until Rahane's dismissal but suffered a horrendous batting collapse to lose the match by 16 runs.

The defence of 111 is also the lowest successfully defended total in IPL history, with Chahal playing a critical role by taking a haul of 4-0-28-4.