RCB's 5 biggest defeats by runs in the IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 81 runs in the ninth match of IPL 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, April 6.

Bangalore started the match quite well, reducing the hosts to 89/5 in the 12th over. Amidst a top-order collapse, Afghan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a crucial 57-run knock off 44 balls. A masterclass from Shardul Thakur (68 off 29 balls) and Rinku Singh (46 off 33 balls) ensured that KKR recovered brilliantly and posted 204-7 on the board.

RCB started well in response, but the wickets of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis in back-to-back overs derailed the chase. Nine wickets were picked up by the KKR spinners. While debutant and impact player Suyash Sharma claimed three scalps, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy snared two and four wickets, respectively.

It took the visitors a 27-run partnership for the 10th wicket to avoid a loss by a margin in excess of 100 runs as RCB were bowled out for 123 in 174 overs.

On that note, we revisit RCB's biggest IPL losses in terms of runs over the years.

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#1 RCB v KKR - 140 runs, 18th April 2008

The first-ever IPL match is fondly remembered by many for Brendon McCullum's iconic knock (158* off 73 balls). He was the only KKR batter who could get going that day at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and helped the Knight Riders post 222-3.

However, the target proved too stiff for the hosts, who were bundled out for a mere 82 runs, losing the contest by 140 runs. It remains KKR's biggest victory in the IPL to date.

Ajit Agarkar took three wickets and conceded 25 runs in his quota of four overs to help KKR's cause.

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#2 RCB v SRH - 118 runs, 31st March 2019

The RCB-SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) games have witnessed several close encounters over the years. However, this match was one of the most one-sided games in this rivalry.

The destructive opening duo of David Warner (100* off 56 balls) and Jonny Bairstow (114 runs off 56 balls) stitched together a 185-run partnership in 16.2 overs as SRH posted 231-2 while batting first.

In response, Bangalore failed to get any help from the top order and were reeling at 35/6. However, contributions from Colin de Grandhomme, Prayas Ray Barman, and Umesh Yadav ensured that they crossed the 100-run mark before eventually getting bowled out for 113 runs in 19.5 overs.

SRH won the contest by 118 runs, their biggest margin of victory in terms of runs. Sandeep Sharma (3/19) and Mohammad Nabi (4/11) were the pick of the Hyderabad bowlers.

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#3 RCB v KXIP - 111 runs, 17th May 2011

Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings) won the toss and elected to bat first at Dharamsala in 2011. Aussie superstars Adam Gilchrist (106 off 55 balls) and Shaun Marsh (79* off 49 balls) added 206 runs for the second wicket as Punjab posted 232-2.

In response, Bangalore lost their star batters Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli in the first four overs as the chase was derailed. AB de Villiers (34) was the only notable contributor for RCB, who bowled out for 121 in 17 overs, losing the contest by 11 runs.

Piyush Chawla (4/17) and Ryan Harris (3/28) were the most impactful bowlers fpr Punjab.

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#4 RCB v PBKS - 97 runs, 24th September 2020

This was yet another game where Bangalore seemed to be in control for the majority of the first innings.

Punjab were 128/3 in 15.2 overs following the dismissals of Nicolas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell. However, the well-set KL Rahul made sure to capitalize on some poor death bowling as he scored a magnificent 132* off 69 balls to help the Punjab Kings finish at 206-3.

RCB were reduced 4/3 in 2.4 overs. A 49-run partnership between Aaron Finch and AB de Villiers then gave Bangalore a glimmer of hope. However, it proved to be too little as both overseas batters were dismissed in successive overs.

Washington Sundar's 30 ensured that RCB at least crossed the 100-run mark before being all-out for 109 runs in 17 overs, losing the game by 97 runs in the process.

It was a proper team effort with the ball for Punjab, but the spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin stood out as they picked up six wickets between themselves.

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#5 RCB v CSK - 92 runs, 20th April 2009

CSK won the toss and elected to bat first against the Kevin Pietersen-led side in 2009. Matthew Hayden played a brilliant knock (65 runs off 35 balls) as Chennai posted 179-5 in the first innings at Gqeberha.

Praveen Kumar was sent out to open the batting as a pinch hitter - an experiment that did not come off for RCB. The second-wicket partnership between Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis was the only time RCB looked to be in the game during the run-chase.

Bangalore collapsed from 40-1 in 5.1 overs to 87 all-out in 15.2 overs to lose the game by 92 runs. Legendary Muttiah Muralitharan was the best bowler for CSK, returning with figures of 3-11 from his four overs.