RCB's Grittiest Defense: Lowest Score Ever Defended in IPL

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is one of the most celebrated teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Even though they have yet to win a trophy, their fan base is something that every team wishes for.

The Bengaluru-based franchise has been home to many stalwarts of the game, who over the years have displayed a high-quality brand of cricket. When it comes to RCB, Virat Kohli’s name pops up at the first and he arguably is the biggest reason why the franchise is rated highly in the IPL.  Kohli's presence helps RCB's status as one of the most bet on teams across all cricket betting sites, despite their lack of trophies.

Since the inception of the league in 2008. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has done some incredible things in the league. The franchise’s name stands tall in almost every record in the league. The team is traditionally known for its batting powerhouse but they have achieved some success as a bowling unit as well.

In a tournament, where a total of even over 200 is unsafe, there have been days where RCB bowlers have defended totals less than 150. In this article, we will have a look at the Lowest scores defended in the IPL by RCB. 

Lowest Scores Defended in IPL by RCB

1. RCB defending 126 runs vs CSK (112/8) in IPL 2008

The lowest score defended in IPL by RCB came during the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008. The men in red didn’t have a great outing with the bat but thanks to valiant 47 from Rahul Dravid they posted a total of 126 runs on the board.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was off the flying start with the bat as the openers added 60 runs. It seemed that RCB would be receiving a 10-wicket thrashing but Anil Kumble spun web around the opposition. He made CSK’s batting lineup look clueless and returned with the figures of 3/14. A collective bowling effort saw RCB reducing CSK from 84/2 to 109/8. MS Dhoni’s Army fell short of 14 runs as Bengaluru snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. 

2. RCB defending 126 runs vs LSG (108) in IPL 2023

Who can forget the IPL 2023 encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow? It was one of the best games in the history of the tournament as apart from a stellar game, tempers also flared up.

RCB had faced loss against LSG in the first leg of the game and that didn’t go well with them. In the second leg, Virat Kohli was all fired up and it lifted the entire team’s spirits. Batting first, RCB on account of contributions from captain Faf du Plessis (44) and Kohli (31) posted 126 runs on a tough batting pitch. The Faf du Plessis-led side started the defense on high as they picked wickets in powerplay and made sure that they cashed in on the start they got. RCB kept picking wickets at regular intervals and bundled out LSG for 108, winning the game by 18 runs. This was the joint lowest score defended in IPL by RCB.

3. RCB defending 133 runs vs RR (58) in IPL 2009 

RCB took on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their first game of the IPL 2009. After having a horrendous campaign in IPL 2008, where they finished 7th on the points table, they made sure they started the next season in dominant fashion.

Rahul Dravid played a valiant knock of 66 runs with Kevin Pietersen (33) supporting him well. Based on their handy knocks, RCB posted a fighting total of 133 runs on the board. With just 134 runs to chase, it was almost certain that the defending champions would pave their way to an easy victory. However, that wasn’t the case as Anil Kumble stood tall for his team. He returned with magical figures of 5/5 as RCB bundled out RR for just 58 runs to win the match by 75 runs. 

4. RCB defending 145 runs vs  PBKS (137/7) in IPL 2009 

The fourth lowest score defended in IPL by RCB came during the IPL 2009 when they won the game against Punjab Kings by the barest of margins.

Bengaluru didn’t have a great outing with the bat as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. But thanks to handy contributions from Jacques Kallis (27) and Roelof van der Merwe (37) they managed 145 runs in the 20 overs. With the Durban venue being high-scoring, it was expected that Punjab would chase the target.

Yuvraj Singh (50) took his team off the valiant start as PBKS had an opening partnership of 70 runs. But after that, RCB pulled things back incredibly well and picked wickets in quick succession of time. They reduced the opposition to a total of 137 runs and won the game by 8 runs. Anil Kumble, Praveen Kumar, and Roelof van der Merwe bagged two wickets each. 

5. RCB defending 149 runs vs SRH (143-9) in IPL 2021 

RCB vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the IPL 2021 was one of the most exciting games of the edition. It was a low-scoring thriller that saw RCB defending another low total in the IPL.

It wasn’t a good batting effort from the Bengaluru-based franchise as they didn’t even cross 150 runs. But efforts from Glenn Maxwell (59) and Virat Kohli (33) powered them to a total of 149 runs. Still, Wriddhiman Saha, David Warner (54) and Manish Pandey (33) put RCB under immense pressure. The Orange Army seemed clear favorites to win the game but the way RCB pulled things back was exceptional. Shahbaz Ahmed picked three wickets and rattled the middle order of the opposition. They restricted SRH to 143 to win the game by 6 runs.