KKR and RCB faced off in the inaugural IPL match, and now, after 17 years, they will once again meet in the season opener. Let’s revisit some of the unforgettable clashes between these beloved teams.
In Bengaluru, 2008 marked the date of Match 1.
KKR emerged victorious with a significant margin of 140 runs.
The IPL could not have hoped for a more perfect start. During the league’s debut, Brendon McCullum put on a spectacular show with an unbeaten 158, setting KKR up for a massive total of 222 for 3. RCB was left stunned as they struggled to even get their chase off the ground and eventually fell apart, scoring only 82 runs and giving KKR a dominating win of 140 runs.
In 2009, Centurion hosted Match 41.
The victory went to RCB, as they claimed the win by six wickets.
Taking charge of KKR, McCullum once again made a strong impact by scoring an unbeaten 84 and holding the innings together. This resulted in RCB being set a target of 174. Despite the chase appearing shaky at 74 for 3 after 11 overs, Ross Taylor came through with an impressive performance. Exploiting the inconsistent death bowling, he hammered an unbeaten 81 off only 33 deliveries to guide RCB to victory with four balls remaining.
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On March 12th, 2013, in Bengaluru.
RCB emerged victorious with a comfortable eight-wicket margin.
The match was a clear victory for Chris Gayle, who scored an impressive 85 not out in pursuit of 155 runs. However, the real headline-grabber was the heated confrontation between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. When Kohli was caught out by deep point, Gambhir let his emotions show without restraint. Harsh words were spoken and tensions rose as the two exchanged words, but their former Delhi teammate Rajat Bhatia intervened to calm the situation.
On March 30th, 2016 in Bengaluru.
KKR emerged victorious with a five-wicket lead.
For 17 overs, KKR had RCB under control until a strong finish allowed the home team to score 185. KKR then faced difficulties as they fell behind and required 93 runs in the final seven overs. But the game changed when Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan entered the field. Pathan’s explosive performance in the 17th over, where he scored 24 runs off Shane Watson, shifted the momentum towards KKR. His unbeaten 60 runs off just 29 deliveries secured an impressive comeback victory for his team.
On March 27, 2017, in Kolkata.
The victory by KKR was secured with an 82-run lead.
Reaching the halfway point, KKR found themselves lacking at least 50 runs. Despite Sunil Narine’s impressive performance of 34 runs in just 17 balls, they struggled to reach a final score of 131 all out. What transpired next was truly remarkable. The potentially strongest batting line-up in T20 cricket faltered – RCB were dismissed for an astonishingly low total of 49, which remains the lowest in IPL history. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes, and Colin de Grandhomme each claimed three wickets as not a single RCB player managed to score double digits.
The 46th match of the year took place in Bengaluru.
The victory was secured by KKR with a six-wicket difference.
In the second match, KKR had a strong batting performance. Although RCB’s star players Gayle, Kohli, and AB de Villiers only scored a total of 15 runs, Mandeep Singh’s 52 and Travis Head’s unbeaten 75 helped them reach a less-than-impressive score of 158. However, once Narine and Chris Lynn got going, things quickly turned in KKR’s favor. The two wreaked havoc during the powerplay, scoring 105 runs. Narine even set a new record for the fastest IPL fifty at the time, achieving it in just 15 balls. Ultimately, KKR had an easy victory.
On March 17th, 2019 in Bengaluru.
KKR emerged victorious with five wickets
In a bid to break a losing streak of four games, RCB appeared to be headed towards a crucial victory after setting KKR a formidable target of 206 and leaving them with a daunting required run rate of 66 in the final four overs. Kohli and de Villiers had both scored impressive half-centuries, leaving it in the hands of the bowlers to contain Russell. However, the explosive batsman had different ideas. In another show of sheer power, he smashed an unbeaten 48 off only 13 deliveries, making the chase look effortless as KKR cruised to victory with five balls remaining.
In the 36th match of 2024 in Kolkata…
In the thrilling final over, Mitchell Starc had 20 runs to defend against Karn Sharma of RCB. Despite hitting three sixes in four balls and bringing his team close to victory, Karn’s dismissal on the fifth ball and Lockie Ferguson’s run-out while trying for a second run secured a dramatic one-run win for KKR. The high-scoring game, with over 440 runs in just 40 overs, saw RCB looking strong in their chase of 223 until Russell’s two wickets in the 12th over changed the momentum and set up an exciting finish.
