The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are like the rockstars of the IPL. Packed with star power, they ignite excitement in their fans with their explosive brand of cricket. They’ve been a mainstay since the league’s launch, always attracting legendary players. Their games are guaranteed to be nail-biters, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. But here’s the catch: despite reaching the playoffs nine times, they haven’t been able to clinch the championship. They’re the IPL’s resident playoff team, with a trophy cabinet that feels slightly empty.
Here we review the RCB’s performance over the years.
| Year | PLD | W | L | T | W % | Position | Summary |
| 2008 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 28.57% | 7th | Group Stage |
| 2009 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 56.25% | 1st | Runners-up |
| 2010 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 50% | 3rd | Play-offs |
| 2011 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 62.5% | 1st | Runners-up |
| 2012 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 50% | 5th | Group Stage |
| 2013 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 50% | 5th | Group Stage |
| 2014 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 35.71% | 7th | Group Stage |
| 2015 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 50% | 3rd | Play-offs |
| 2016 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 56.25% | 1st | Runners-up |
| 2017 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 23.08% | 8th | Group Stage |
| 2018 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 42.86% | 6th | Group Stage |
| 2019 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 38.46% | 8th | Group Stage |
| 2020 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 46.6% | 4th | Play-offs |
| 2021 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 60% | 3rd | Play-offs |
| 2022 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 56.25% | 4th | Play-offs |
| 2023 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 50% | 6th | Group Stage |
| 2024 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 46.67% | 4th | Play-offs |
2009: Runner up, Captains: Kevin Pietersen, Anil Kumble
After a rough first season where they came in seventh place, RCB’s team did a complete flip-flop in the second season! This season was played in South Africa. They even made it to the finals!
At first, a famous English batsman named Kevin Pietersen was captain. He was expensive, costing the team a whopping $1.55 million! But after just a few wins, he wasn’t allowed to play anymore. That’s when a former Indian cricket star, Anil Kumble, took over as captain.
Under his leadership, they won the rest of their matches and even beat a strong Chennai team in the semi-finals! In the finals, even though Kumble bowled amazingly (taking 4 wickets for only 16 runs!), they just couldn’t win against the Deccan Chargers.
2010: 3rd Place, Captain: Anil Kumble
Keeping things rolling from their great last season, RCB stuck with Kumble as captain and even picked a young Virat Kohli, who was only 21 then, as his helper (vice-captain). The team did awesome, winning most of their games – 7 out of 14! But things got tight at the end.
Three other teams, Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata, all had the same number of wins as RCB. To see who got the last playoff spot, they looked at a stat called “net run rate.” Basically, this shows how well you’re winning by. Chennai had a better net run rate, so they got the number 3 spot.
But RCB beat out the other two teams thanks to a slightly better net run rate, taking the fourth and final playoff spot. Their winning streak ended in the semifinals where they lost to Mumbai by 35 runs. Still, they came back strong and beat the Deccan Chargers in a special game to get third place!
It’s worth noting that their captain, Kumble, went out with a bang in his last IPL game, taking a whopping 4 wickets for only 16 runs!
2011: Runner up, Captains: Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli
RCB underwent a significant roster overhaul when the IPL expanded to 10 teams. Despite being allowed to retain five players, they opted to keep only the young prodigy Virat Kohli. The captaincy reins were handed to Daniel Vettori.
The franchise made a big investment, signing Saurabh Tiwary for USD 1.6 million. They also addressed their batting firepower by bringing in Chris Gayle mid-season to replace fast bowler Dirk Nannes. Gayle’s impact was immediate, as he emerged as their leading run-scorer with a whopping 608 runs. Notably,
Kohli stepped in as captain for three matches due to Vettori’s knee injuries. RCB dominated the group stage and reached the qualifiers.
However, their path to the trophy was thwarted by CSK twice. They defeated Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier by a convincing 43-run margin but fell short in the finals, losing to CSK again by 58 runs.
2015: Play-offs, Captain: Virat Kohli
RCB finally got super lucky in the eighth season with three amazing batsmen – Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, and AB de Villiers! After a long time of not making it to the playoffs (3 years!), RCB, with Kohli as captain, came in third place after winning 7 out of 14 games.
One of the coolest moments was during a game against Mumbai. Kohli and de Villiers teamed up for an amazing partnership, scoring a whopping 215 runs together without getting out! AB de Villiers even scored the most runs ever by one player in a situation like that (called a T20 partnership).
They kept winning, even beating Rajasthan by a lot (71 runs) in a special game to stay in the tournament. But in the end, they couldn’t quite win it all. They lost again to Chennai in a close game (by 3 wickets).
2016: Runner-up, Captain: Virat Kohli
RCB did amazing with Kohli as their captain! They made it to the playoffs again for the second year in a row. Kohli himself was unstoppable, scoring a crazy amount of runs – a whopping 973! That’s even more impressive because he scored 4 hundred-run scores, which is super rare.
His teammates, Shane Watson and Yuzvendra Chahal, were also all-stars, each taking 20 wickets to help RCB win 8 out of their 14 games. Remember the dream team of Kohli and de Villiers? They broke their own record again! This time, they scored a record-breaking 229 runs together batting second! RCB was on fire, winning 5 games in a row and even getting a free pass to the finals by winning an important match.
But sadly, their winning streak ended in the championship game. They lost a super close game (by only 8 runs!) to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
2020: Play-offs, Captain: Virat Kohli
RCB started strong under Kohli’s leadership in the 14th IPL season, even crushing Sunrisers by 10 wickets in the first game! But things weren’t always smooth sailing.
They lost badly to Punjab Kings (now called Punjab Kings) and even tied a game against Mumbai Indians in a super close finish (they won in the tie-breaker though!). Overall, they won about half of their games. Unfortunately, they lost four games in a row near the end.
Luckily, their win-loss record was still better than Kolkata on a special stat, so they squeaked into the playoffs! But their winning streak ended there. They scored a low number of runs (131) against Sunrisers again and lost the eliminator match by a lot (6 wickets).
2021: Play-offs, Captain: Virat Kohli
RCB’s gamble on Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell paid off handsomely in the 14th season. Maxwell emerged as their leading run-scorer, amassing 513 runs in 14 innings. The team started strong, winning their first four matches in a row.
However, their momentum faltered as they lost four out of the next five games. They managed to regain their footing by winning four of their last five league matches, securing a third-place finish in the points table. In a thrilling finale that mirrored their previous eliminator victory, RCB faced KKR.
Batting first, RCB set a target of 138/7. KKR chased valiantly but fell short, losing with just two balls remaining. This match marked the final IPL appearance for AB de Villiers, who closed the curtain on an illustrious career with RCB, having scored 4491 runs in 144 innings across 11 seasons.
2022: Plays offs, Captain: Faf du Plessis
RCB had a fresh start this IPL season with a new captain, Faf du Plessis, taking over from Virat Kohli. The league itself changed too – there were now 10 teams, and the games were played in just a few cities.
RCB’s season was kind of like a rollercoaster. They lost their first game, then won three in a row, then lost again. But even though they weren’t winning all the time, they still got enough points (16) to make it to the playoffs and finish in fourth place.
Their first playoff game was a turning point. A new player, Rajat Patidar, who hadn’t played for India yet, became a hero by scoring an amazing 100 runs without getting out – the first time ever for someone like him in the IPL playoffs! This helped RCB win that game by 14 runs.
Unfortunately, their winning streak ended in the next game. Patidar again scored the most runs for RCB with a super high score of 157, but this time it wasn’t enough. The other team, Rajasthan Royals, chased down their total (157 runs) easily and won the game with lots of wickets left.
2024: Plays offs, Captain: Faf du Plessis
The 10-team IPL returned with a familiar format after a year of virtual groups. RCB continued with Faf du Plessis at the helm and Virat Kohli focusing on his batting role. The tournament spanned across its usual locations in India.
RCB’s 2024 season was a tale of two halves. They started with a horror run, losing six out of their first seven matches. However, a dramatic turnaround saw them win six consecutive games in the latter half, including a crucial victory against Chennai Super Kings that secured their playoff berth on net run rate. They finished the league stage in fourth place with 14 points.
Despite their shaky start, RCB displayed grit in the playoffs. They faced Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, where their batting faltered. However, their bowling attack, led by the experienced Mohammed Siraj, restricted the Royals to a narrow defeat.
Unfortunately, their journey ended in the Qualifier against the same opposition. Despite another valiant knock by Virat Kohli, who finished the season as the tournament’s top scorer with 741 runs, RCB fell short by a narrow margin.
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How Many Times RCB Qualified For Final
2009 IPL vs Deccan Chargers
RCB started the 2008 season badly, but things changed when their first captain got hurt. A new leader, Anil Kumble, stepped in and took them all the way to an exciting game against Deccan Chargers in the semi-finals.
Kumble decided to field first and bowled amazingly himself, taking a whopping 4 wickets for only 16 runs! Deccan Chargers only scored 143 runs because of Kumble’s bowling. Their best batsman scored 53 runs.
RCB tried to chase down that score, but most of their batsmen didn’t do well. One player, Roelof van der Merwe, hit a quick 32 runs, but it wasn’t enough. Deccan Chargers’ bowlers, especially Pragyan Ojha who took 3 wickets, stopped RCB from scoring enough runs (they only got 137) and won the game. This was Deccan Chargers’ first ever IPL championship!
2011 IPL vs Chennai Super Kings
Two years later, RCB found themselves back in the IPL final, facing a formidable Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team. CSK captain won the toss and opted to bat first, amassing a daunting total of 205/5. Their openers, Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey, were the stars of the show, stitching together a mammoth 159-run partnership. Vijay top-scored with a brilliant 95, while Hussey chipped in with a valuable 63.
Despite Chris Gayle’s fiery spell with the ball (2/34) and Sreenath Aravind’s two wickets, RCB’s batting faltered. The Jamaican powerhouse, Gayle, unfortunately, couldn’t translate his bowling prowess into runs, getting dismissed for a duck. The rest of the batting order crumbled, managing only 147/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Saurabh Tiwary’s unbeaten 42 was a lone bright spot.
R Ashwin emerged as CSK’s bowling hero, claiming 3/16, while left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati chipped in with 2 wickets for 21 runs. This dominant performance secured CSK their second IPL title.
2016 IPL vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
RCB almost won the championship again in a super close game – their third time in the finals! They needed to score a ton of runs (208) to win after the other team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, batted first. Their best batsman, David Warner, hit a super fast 69 runs, and a couple of other guys also chipped in (Ben Cutting and Yuvraj Singh) to get their team a really high score – the highest ever in an IPL final!
Chris Jordan was RCB’s best bowler, taking 3 wickets, but he also gave up a lot of runs (45). RCB started off strong with Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli hitting a lot of runs together (114 runs in just over a minute!), but then the rest of the batsmen didn’t do well. In the very last over, RCB needed 19 runs to win, but they only scored 9 and lost the game by a tiny amount (8 runs). It was a heartbreaker for RCB!
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How Many Matches RCB Won
Across 16 seasons in the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been a consistent force. They’ve played a total of 242 matches, emerging victorious in 114 encounters. However, they’ve also fallen short 120 times, with three tied games and five no-results. This translates to a win percentage of 47.11%, placing them behind teams like KKR, CSK, and MI in terms of overall wins.
Despite their impressive win record, RCB hasn’t been able to convert their consistency into championships. They’ve finished third on three occasions, but the elusive IPL title remains out of reach. The 2011 season stands out as their most successful year, with a record 10 wins in a single season.
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