RCB’s History In IPL – Best And Worst Performances

With the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) all set to begin in the UAE from the 19th of September, we look at some interesting numbers and records for each of the 8 participating franchises. We have already analyzed the numbers behind CSK and MI. In this piece we look at some stats which define the performance of RCB – who even with world-class batting talent has struggled in most editions and is yet to win a title.

With the IPL 2020 all set to begin in the UAE from the 19th of September, we look at some interesting numbers and records for each of the 8 participating franchises. We have already analyzed the numbers behind CSK and MI. In this piece we look at some stats which define the performance of RCB – who even with world-class batting talent has struggled in most editions and is yet to win a title.

3: Number Of Times Finished Runners-Up

RCB have made it to the final three times but never went a step further. They were beaten by Deccan Chargers in 2009, CSK in 2011 and SRH in 2016.

46.41%: Percentage of Matches Won in the IPL

RCB has won 84 of the 181 matches it has played in the IPL and has the second-worst win percentage amongst the 8 participating teams in this year’s edition.

61.36%: Maximum Win Percentage (min. 10 matches) against a team (vs Delhi Capitals)

RCB has had the better of Delhi Capitals historically winning 13 of the 23 encounters against them.

34.78%: Lowest Win Percentage against a team (vs CSK)

RCB has the worst record against CSK in what is termed as the ‘Cauvery Battle’! They have won just 8 and lost 15 of the 24 matches against their arch-rivals.

64.29%: Maximum Win Percentage in a Season (2011)

RCB won 9 of their 14 matches in 2011 and finished as runners-up.

21.43%: Lowest Win Percentage in a Season (2017)

RCB lost 10 of their 14 matches in 2017 and won only 3. They finished last on the Points Table.

2017-2019: Worst Period for RCB in the IPL

RCB have the worst overall record amongst all teams in these three years. They won 6 of their 14 matches in 2018 and finished 6th while in 2019 they were again at the bottom of the table losing 8 of their 14 matches.

2009-2011: Best Period for RCB in the IPL

RCB won 8 of their 14 matches in 2009 and finished runners-up. They ended third in 2010 and gave their best performance in 2011 winning 9 of their 14 matches again losing in the finals.

5: Number of Times entered Playoffs

RCB have made it to the playoffs in 5 of the 12 editions of the IPL – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016.

263/5: Highest Total (vs Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in 2013)

Chris Gayle’s sensational record-breaking unbeaten 175 off just 66 deliveries helped RCB to the highest total (for any team) in IPL history. Such has been the firepower in their batting that RCB also boasts of the second-highest team total of all-time – 248/3 against Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru in 2016.

4/5: 4 of RCB’s top 5 totals have come at their home venue – the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

A batting friendly track and very short boundaries are the primary reasons for big totals at the venue.

49 All Out: Lowest Total (vs KKR at the Eden Gardens in 2017)

RCB were bowled out for 49 in 9.4 overs against KKR in 2017 – it is the lowest team total for any team in IPL history! RCB has the dubious distinction of being bowled out for 3 of the lowest 10 scores in IPL history.

They have had the most explosive batting unit with the likes of Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli – thus, when they have clicked they have broken all records but on the flip side when this line-up has failed, they have collapsed. Not surprisingly then, that RCB has both the highest and the lowest total in the history of the IPL!

144: Largest Margin of Victory (vs Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru in 2016)

It is the second-biggest margin of victory in IPL history. Interestingly, RCB has been the victorious side in 3 of the 5 largest victories (by runs) in the IPL.

1 Run: Lowest Margin of Victory (vs Kings XI in Mohali in 2016 & CSK in Bengaluru in 2019)

2: Number of Tied Matches (vs SRH in Hyderabad in 2013 & DD in Bengaluru in 2013)

RCB have been involved in 2 tied matches – both in 2013.

1: Number of Times Won Chasing off the Final Delivery (vs Warriors in Bengaluru in 2012)

RCB chased down Pune Warriors’ target of 183 in the most dramatic fashion. Needing three of the final ball, Saurabh Tiwary clubbed Ashish Nehra for a six over long-on.

5412: Maximum Aggregate Runs – Virat Kohli

Kohli is the leading scorer in IPL history!

5: Maximum Number of Hundreds – Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle

Gayle scored a ton for Kings XI too and has 6 hundreds – the maximum for any batsman – in the IPL.

43.32: Best Batting Average (min. 500 runs) – Chris Gayle

Gayle has scored 3163 runs in 84 innings in the IPL. His exploits include 5 hundreds and 19 fifties.

159.55: Highest Strike Rate (min. 500 runs) – AB de Villiers

Contrary to popular perception, it is not Gayle but AB who has the highest batting strike rate for RCB in the IPL. He is followed by Gayle (152.72).

175*: Highest Individual Score in a Match – Chris Gayle (vs Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in 2013)

Gayle slammed 17 sixes and 13 fours in his breathtaking record breaking 66-ball 175! It is the highest score in IPL history! 4 of the 5 highest individual scores in the IPL belong to the RCB – two each by Gayle and AB.

17: Maximum Number of Sixes in an Innings – Chris Gayle (vs Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in 2013)

Not surprisingly, Gayle features in three of the top 5 in terms of number of sixes hit in an innings.

13: Number of Hundreds for RCB in the IPL

12 of these have been registered by the trio of Gayle-Kohli-AB showcasing not only the brilliance of these three batsmen but also RCBs over-dependence on them.

387.5: Highest Strike Rate in a 30-plus Innings – AB de Villiers (vs Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in 2013)

AB hammered 31 off just 8 deliveries in the same match as Gayle registered his colossal 175. It is the second-fastest 30-plus score in IPL history! AB also smashed 41 off just 11 deliveries at a strike rate of 372.72 against MI in Bengaluru in 2015 which is the second-fastest 30-plus score for RCB in the IPL.

12: Maximum Number of 200-plus Strike Rate Innings (min. runs 30) – AB de Villiers

Gayle has produced 10 such innings.

973: Highest Aggregate in a Series – Virat Kohli (2016)

Virat Kohli amassed 973 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 152.03 smashing 4 hundreds and 7 fifties in the 2016 edition. It is the highest aggregate by any player of any franchise in a season.

100: Maximum Number of Wickets – Yuzvendra Chahal

6.57: Lowest Economy Rate – Anil Kumble

8: Number of Bowlers with an Economy Rate of Above 8 (min. 20 wickets)

R Vinay Kumar, S Aravind, HV Patel, Praveen Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Shane Watson, Jacques Kallis and Varun Aaron all have an economy rate of above 8 for RCB.

5-5 (3.1 overs): Best Bowling Figures in an Innings – Anil Kumble (vs RR in Cape Town in 2009)

These are the best overseas bowling figures in IPL history!

70: Team Scoring Maximum Runs in a Bowling Innings in IPL history – RCB vs Basil Thampi (SRH) in Bengaluru in 2018

23: Maximum Wickets in a Season – Yuzvendra Chahal in 2015 & R Vinay Kumar in 2013

229: Highest Partnership for any Wicket – Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (vs Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru in 2016)

It is the highest partnership by any pair in IPL history!

215*: Second-Highest Partnership for any Wicket – Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (vs MI in Mumbai in 2015)

It is the second-highest partnership by any pair in IPL history!

It is a testament of the greatness of Kohli and AB that the pair have been involved in the two highest partnerships in IPL history.

3/4 (200 Partnerships): Maximum Number of 200-Partnerships – Virat Kohli

There have been 4 200-plus stands in IPL history! Kohli has been a part of 3 of them!

110: Most Matches as Captain – Virat Kohli

Only Dhoni (174) and Gautam Gambhir (129) have captained their franchise/s in more number of matches.

47.16%: Kohli’s Win Percentage as Captain of RCB

Kohli does not have a great record as RCB captain. The team has won 49 and lost 55 of the 110 matches under his leadership.

Contrast this to the outstanding record he has as captain of India in the shortest format. He has led the country to victory in 22 of the 37 matches as captain. In terms of win-loss ratio (amongst major teams; min. 20 matches as captain), Kohli has the 3rd best record (won 22 and lost 11) only after Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik.

AN ALL TIME RCB XI:

1) Chris Gayle

2) Virat Kohli (Captain)

3) Rahul Dravid

4) AB de Villiers (wk)

5) Mandeep Singh

6) Moeen Ali

7) Mitchell Starc

8) Anil Kumble

9) Yuzvendra Chahal

10) R Vinay Kumar

11) Umesh Yadav