RCB IPL History from 2008 to 2024: Stats, records, milestones, and more in review

Glenn Maxwell vs 77 off 44 against Rajasthan Royals, 2023. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are one of the teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that grabs a lot of media attention, due to their rich legacy and illustrious players. Along with the most successful teams Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), they also have a massive fan base in the league. Challengers have never won any trophy yet but this time, they will strive to deliver their best and quench their fans’ trophy thirst.

Under Faf du Plessis, RCB will look to forget their cruel past to make their upcoming IPL campaign marvelous and lift the coveted trophy. In their 16-year history, RCB have not won any titles but they have broken into record books numerous times, due to their majestic performances. Witnessing Bangalore’s massive history, let’s revisit their past IPL campaigns. 

Also Check: IPL 2024 Schedule

Let’s look at the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL journey from 2008 to 2024:

IPL 2008- Bleak performances and humiliation

RCB made their horrendous debut in the 2008 IPL under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. With frail batting and bowling, Challengers could win only four of 14 games and ended up in the seventh spot on the points table. Eminent names such as Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, and skipper Dravid looked completely out of rhythm. In the league’s opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, they bowled first after winning the toss and splurged 222 runs. Following the enormous target, they got bundled out on 82.

IPL 2009- Close but no cigar

Witnessing the failure in the maiden season, RCB snapped up England batter Kevin Pietersen in the second IPL auction and appointed him as the skipper of the side. Under the new captain, Bangalore won two of their first six games. Before concluding the first half of the competition, Pietersen left the RCB camp to join his national team.

Following Pietersen’s departure, Anil Kumble became the skipper of the side and he extracted disciplined performances from his players. With eight wins in the league round, they qualified for the knockouts and beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in the semi-final in Johannesburg. 

In the final at the iconic New Wanderers Stadium, they clashed with Deccan Chargers. On the big stage, Kumble displayed his magic with the ball and contained the Chargers on 143 in 20 overs. Bowling his four-over spell, he registered 4/16 figures with the ball. Following the target, batters failed to hold their nerves and eventually, RCB fell six runs short. Kumble became the recipient of the Player of the Match award for his stunning bowling display.

IPL 2010- Unstable performance and the knockout failure 

Kumble led the pack again in the third IPL season but this time, Challengers struggled to be at their best in the league round. With seven wins in 14 games, they entered the knockout round but in the massive semi-final contest against Mumbai Indians (MI), their indisciplined performance cost their campaign. 

IPL 2011- Knockout conundrum continues

Under Daniel Vettori, Challengers kicked off their fourth IPL season with an emphatic six-wicket win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala, but following that win, they accumulated three consecutive defeats in a row. With just one victory in five games, the contest against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens became crucial for Challengers.

With Dirk Nannes’ exit due to an injury, RCB signed up the star West Indies opener Chris Gayle and included him in their playing XI. Appearing against his former side, the Caribbean batter hit an unbeaten ton and made his comeback in the league in style. Riding on his magnificent knock, RCB registered a nine-wicket victory. 

Gayle continued his fine work for the team and riding on his extraordinary batting shows, Bangalore topped the table and qualified for the playoffs with ease. In the first Qualifier played at the Wankhede Stadium, Challengers got a six-wicket defeat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but in the Eliminator clash, the Gayle storm helped RCB to get the better of Mumbai Indians (MI). 

In the final against the Yellow Army, Bangalore looked completely nervous. Their top players Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, and Zaheer Khan failed to do wonders, which eventually led to RCB’s 58-run defeat and the conclusion of their magnificent campaign as runners-up.    

IPL 2012- Inconsistency deprives the playoff tickets

Following the impressive 2011 season, the RCB team management continued Vettori as a skipper in 2012. However, this time, he failed to be effective as a leader as Bangalore lacked consistency in the initial stages of the competition. In the do-or-die game against the Deccan Chargers, they couldn’t chase a low target of 133 and failed to reach the playoffs. 

From the cheerless season, RCB supporters got a few positives such as Chris Gayle winning the Orange Cap with 733 runs in 15 matches and their pacer R Vinay Kumar ending up as the joint-fourth-leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets in 15 games. 

IPL 2013- Virat Kohli’s appointment as a skipper but the title thirst continues

Before the 2013 IPL edition, RCB handed the reins of the side to their young stalwart Virat Kohli. Under the new skipper, Bangalore got a great start with six wins and just two losses in eight games. However, their campaign got unsettled in the second half of the competition. At the end of the round-robin stage, Kohli and his men accumulated 18 points with nine wins and seven losses but the debutant team Sunrisers Hyderabad’s comfortable five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended RCB’s 2013 IPL journey.

IPL 2014- Another abysmal season under the young skipper

In 2014, Kohli came under fierce criticism for his dismal performance as skipper and batter. Under him, Challengers could win only five games and ended up in the seventh spot on the points table. Their senior stalwarts such as Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, and Muttiah Muralitharan looked ordinary along with captain Kohli, who averaged only 27.61 with his bat in the competition.

IPL 2015- Another knockout debacle disheartens supporters again

After two consecutive disappointing seasons under Kohli’s captaincy, RCB put up a decent show for their fans in 2015. With seven triumphs and five losses, Bangalore qualified for the playoffs. In the Eliminator contest against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kohli and Co. failed to hold their nerves and got knocked out of the competition, with their 71-run loss.

In the unsuccessful campaign, AB de Villiers ended up as the fourth-leading run-getter in the season with 513 runs in 16 matches while Yuzvendra Chahal became the third-highest wicket-taker in the competition, with 23 wickets in 15 games at an economy of 8.86. 

IPL 2016- So close, yet so far

The 2016 IPL season witnessed Kohli’s spectacular batting display and RCB producing one of their best performances in the league. Riding on their captain’s unprecedented batting form, Challengers exuded confidence in the league round, winning eight games and qualifying for the playoffs.

During the league stage, they also recorded their biggest victory (by runs) against Gujarat Lions at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The game became iconic for RCB’s 144-run win and the massive 229-run stand between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for the second wicket, which is the highest partnership in the history of the league. 

In the final against SRH in Bengaluru, RCB got an opportunity to take advantage of their home conditions and lift the trophy. Winning the toss, Sunrisers’ skipper David Warner elected to bat first and his batters proved the decision correct. Ben Cutting’s unbeaten 39-run knockoff just 15 deliveries proved costly for RCB as SRH posted a humongous total of 208 runs on the board.

Chasing the massive target, Challengers looked comfortable until the 13th over. Following Kohli’s departure on 54 off 35, RCB’s innings floundered. In the end, Bangalore fell eight runs short and recorded their third IPL final defeat. Kohli, who notched up 973 runs in 16 matches, became the recipient of the Orange Cap. 

IPL 2017- New low under Kohli’s captaincy

RCB looked completely out of color in the 2016 IPL and concluded their campaign with only three wins off 14 games. It was the first season Bangalore concluded any IPL season at the bottom of the points table. Against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kohli and his boys recorded the lowest IPL total, getting dismissed on a score of 49 while following 132.  

IPL 2018- Reshuffle fails to bring effective results

Ahead of the 2018 IPL installment, all teams went through a reshuffle and RCB also went through some drastic changes. After parting ways with eminent names such as Chris Gayle and Shane Watson, they added Quinton de Kock and Moeen Ali to their squad. The reforms couldn’t bring the desired results for Challengers as they could win only six games in the league round and concluded their season with another disappointment.

IPL 2019- Another abysmal performance wrecks fans’ hopes 

RCB delivered another dissatisfying season to their supporters with their 2019 performance. After two years, they again saw themselves at the bottom of the points table with just five wins. Key players Kohli and AB de Villiers looked decent but bowlers lacked discipline which became the biggest cause of their failure in the season. Against KKR at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, they failed to defend 206 runs, splurging 53 runs in the last three overs of the game. With this debacle, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. 

IPL 2020- The knockout quandary haunts again

After failing to reach the playoffs for three successive IPL seasons, Challengers qualified for the playoffs in 2020. In the league round, they went through ups and downs but eventually succeeded in reserving the spot for the next round, with seven victories. However, they failed to cross the Eliminator challenge as SRH came out superior on a huge day and knocked them out of the competition.

IPL 2021- Another heartbreaking campaign

Before the second half of the 2021 IPL season, Kohli announced that he would quit RCB captaincy after the season. Leading the side for the last time, he took the team to the playoffs with nine victories, however, they again saw themselves on the losing end in the playoffs. This time, the opponent was KKR, who pulled off a target of 139 with the help of Sunil Narine’s remarkable all-round display.

IPL 2022- Arrival of Faf du Plessis as new skipper but the knockout curse persists

The RCB team management signed up the South Africa veteran Faf du Plessis and appointed him the skipper of the side. As a skipper, the Protea batter looked extremely confident and guided his side to the playoffs. Ahead of the playoffs stage, the team’s inconsistent batting was a cause of concern for the management.

In the Eliminator game, they got the better of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) with the marvelous batting effort of Rajat Patidar, however, against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2, they were outclassed in all departments of the game. 

Wanindu Hasaranga, who made his debut for RCB, scalped 26 wickets in 16 games at an economy of 7.54 and ended up as the second-highest wicket-taker in the competition. Skipper du Plessis became the leading run-scorer for the side, racking up 468 runs in 16 games at an average of 31.20. 

IPL 2023- Another tumultuous exit 

In the 2023 IPL, a lot of positives happened for Challengers. Their key batters du Plessis, Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell produced some fine knocks from their bats and brought joy to the team’s supporters. Mohammed Siraj also led the pace attack confidently. However, the fine form of the formidable batting trio and the speedster’s superb bowling couldn’t take Bangalore to the playoffs. In the do-or-die contest against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, they posted 197 runs on the board, with Kohli’s century but Shubman Gill’s breathtaking ton took Gujarat home by six wickets and eliminated RCB from the competition. 

IPL 2024- Can RCB break their IPL hoodoo under du Plessis?

RCB supporters will keep their expectations high from their side in 2024. Under Faf du Plessis, the team will look to play an aggressive brand of cricket and lift the trophy. For the upcoming season, they also reserved the services of Australia all-rounder Cameron Green. With the availability of eminent names such as Kohli, Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Dinesh Karthik, and Green; du Plessis will want the team to play bold and extract the desired results. 

Also Check:  RCB Team 2024 Players List