The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru rivalry is one of the IPL’s most entertaining and high-scoring contests. Since the early years of the league, these two sides have produced explosive batting battles, dramatic finishes, and memorable individual performances. Featuring stars like Virat Kohli, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and AB de Villiers, this fixture consistently delivers excitement and keeps the head-to-head record closely watched by fans every season.
Head-to-Head Record at a Glance
Metric
Details
Total Matches Played
37
KKR Wins
20
RCB Wins
16
No Result
1
Highest Score (KKR)
222/6 (Eden Gardens, 2024)
Highest Score (RCB)
221/10 (Eden Gardens, 2024)
Lowest Score (RCB)
49 all out (Eden Gardens, 2017)
Lowest Score (KKR)
84/8 (Abu Dhabi, 2020)
Legendary Matches & High-Scoring Battles
1. The Match That Started It All (April 18, 2008)
KKR 222/3 vs RCB 82/10 (KKR won by 140 runs)
The opening night of the inaugural IPL saw Brendon McCullum set the tournament ablaze with an immortal 158* off 73 balls. It instantly established KKR’s attacking aggressive tone and set high standards for the franchise league.
2. The Andre Russell Carnage at Chinnaswamy (April 5, 2019)
RCB 205/3 vs KKR 206/5 (KKR won by 5 wickets)
RCB seemed well on course for victory after posting 205 behind Virat Kohli’s 84. Needing 53 off the last 3 overs, Andre Russell launched an unprecedented assault, smashing 48* off just 13 balls to pull off one of the greatest run-chases in IPL history with 5 balls to spare.
3. Virat Kohli’s Century & Stoinis’ Defense (April 19, 2019)
RCB 213/4 vs KKR 203/5 (RCB won by 10 runs)
Just two weeks after the Chinnaswamy heist, RCB returned the favor at Eden Gardens. Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent 100 off 58 balls. Despite late-overs heroics from Nitish Rana and Andre Russell, Marcus Stoinis held his nerve in the final over to secure a thrilling victory.
4. The 1-Run Heartstopper (April 21, 2024)
KKR 222/6 vs RCB 221/10 (KKR won by 1 run)
One of the highest-scoring thrillers between the two sides. KKR set a target of 223. Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar led RCB’s chase, and Karn Sharma smashed three 6s off Mitchell Starc in the final over to bring RCB to the brink. However, a sensational run-out on the final ball sealed a 1-run win for KKR.
Iconic Rivalry Turning Points
The 49 All Out Collapse (2017): Batting first at Eden Gardens, KKR was bowled out for just 131. In response, KKR’s pace attack (Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes, Colin de Grandhomme) dismantled RCB for 49 runs—the lowest total in IPL history.
Sunil Narine’s Powerplay Blitzkrieg (2017): In the return fixture in Bengaluru, Sunil Narine hit the then-fastest fifty in IPL history (17 balls), helping KKR chase down 159 in just 12.1 overs.
Individual Supremacy: Virat Kohli leads the fixture’s overall run charts with over 950 runs for RCB, while Sunil Narine remains the fixture’s leading wicket-taker (26 wickets).
KKR defended a tiny 131 by bowling out RCB’s star-studded lineup for just 49 runs.
Narine’s 17-Ball Fifty
2017
Sunil Narine smashed the joint-fastest IPL 50 at Chinnaswamy to crush RCB’s 158 target in 12.1 overs.
Siraj’s Double Maiden
2020
Mohammed Siraj dismantled KKR’s top order in Abu Dhabi, bowling 2 maidens and taking 3/8.
Franchise Head-to-Head Honors
Trophy / Honors
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
IPL Titles Won
(3 Titles: 2012, 2014, 2024)
(3 Time Runners-up)
Playoff Appearances
9 Times
9 Times
Rivalry Advantage
Slight Lead (20-16)
Chasing Hard
KKR vs RCB: Complete Match-by-Match Scorecard History
Match #
Date
Venue
1st Innings Score
2nd Innings Score
Result & Margin
Player of the Match
1
18 Apr 2008
Bengaluru
KKR: 222/3 (20)
RCB: 82/10 (15.1)
KKR won by 140 runs
Brendon McCullum (158*)
2
08 May 2008
Kolkata
RCB: 122/10 (18.1)
KKR: 124/5 (19.1)
KKR won by 5 wickets
Sourav Ganguly (1/7 & 20)
3
29 Apr 2009
Durban
KKR: 139/6 (20)
RCB: 143/5 (19.1)
RCB won by 5 wickets
Mark Boucher (25*)
4
12 May 2009
Centurion
RCB: 174/5 (20)
KKR: 168/6 (20)
RCB won by 6 runs
Ross Taylor (81*)
5
14 Mar 2010
Kolkata
RCB: 135/7 (20)
KKR: 136/3 (19.2)
KKR won by 7 wickets
Angelo Mathews (4/19 & 14*)
6
10 Apr 2010
Bengaluru
KKR: 160/9 (20)
RCB: 164/3 (17.1)
RCB won by 7 wickets
Vinay Kumar (3/23)
7
22 Apr 2011
Kolkata
RCB: 171/3 (20)
KKR: 173/1 (17.3)
KKR won by 9 wickets
Gautam Gambhir (102*)
8
14 May 2011
Bengaluru
KKR: 89/4 (13)
RCB: 105/6 (12.3)
RCB won by 4 wickets (DLS)
Chris Gayle (38 off 12)
9
10 Apr 2012
Bengaluru
RCB: 165/8 (20)
KKR: 145/8 (20)
RCB won by 20 runs
Vinay Kumar (2/18)
10
28 Apr 2012
Kolkata
KKR: 190/4 (20)
RCB: 143/6 (20)
KKR won by 47 runs
Gautam Gambhir (93 off 51)
11
11 Apr 2013
Bengaluru
KKR: 154/8 (20)
RCB: 158/2 (17.3)
RCB won by 8 wickets
Chris Gayle (85* off 50)
12
12 May 2013
Kolkata
RCB: 115/9 (20)
KKR: 116/4 (19.2)
KKR won by 6 wickets
Laxmi Ratan Shukla (3/23 & 13*)
13
24 Apr 2014
Sharja
KKR: 150/7 (20)
RCB: 148/5 (20)
KKR won by 2 runs
Chris Lynn (45 & match-saving catch)
14
22 May 2014
Kolkata
KKR: 195/4 (20)
RCB: 165/5 (20)
KKR won by 30 runs
Robin Uthappa (83 off 51)
15
11 Apr 2015
Kolkata
KKR: 177/6 (20)
RCB: 179/7 (19)
RCB won by 3 wickets
Chris Gayle (96 off 56)
16
02 May 2015
Bengaluru
RCB: 111/1 (10)
KKR:Rain Delay
No Result (Abandoned)
N/A
17
02 May 2016
Bengaluru
RCB: 185/7 (20)
KKR: 189/5 (19.1)
KKR won by 5 wickets
Andre Russell (39 & 1/28)
18
16 May 2016
Kolkata
KKR: 183/5 (20)
RCB: 186/1 (18.4)
RCB won by 9 wickets
Virat Kohli (75*) & AB de Villiers (59*)
19
23 Apr 2017
Kolkata
KKR: 131/10 (19.3)
RCB: 49/10 (9.4)
KKR won by 82 runs
Nathan Coulter-Nile (3/20)
20
07 May 2017
Bengaluru
RCB: 158/6 (20)
KKR: 159/4 (12.1)
KKR won by 6 wickets
Sunil Narine (54 off 17)
21
08 Apr 2018
Kolkata
RCB: 176/7 (20)
KKR: 177/6 (18.5)
KKR won by 4 wickets
Sunil Narine (50 off 19 & 1/30)
22
29 Apr 2018
Bengaluru
RCB: 175/4 (20)
KKR: 176/4 (19.1)
KKR won by 6 wickets
Chris Lynn (62* off 52)
23
05 Apr 2019
Bengaluru
RCB: 205/3 (20)
KKR: 206/5 (19.1)
KKR won by 5 wickets
Andre Russell (48* off 13)
24
19 Apr 2019
Kolkata
RCB: 213/4 (20)
KKR: 203/5 (20)
RCB won by 10 runs
Virat Kohli (100 off 58)
25
12 Oct 2020
Sharjah
RCB: 194/2 (20)
KKR: 112/9 (20)
RCB won by 82 runs
AB de Villiers (73* off 33)
26
21 Oct 2020
Abu Dhabi
KKR: 84/8 (20)
RCB: 85/2 (13.3)
RCB won by 8 wickets
Mohammed Siraj (3/8, 2 maidens)
27
18 Apr 2021
Chennai
RCB: 204/4 (20)
KKR: 166/8 (20)
RCB won by 38 runs
AB de Villiers (76* off 34)
28
20 Sep 2021
Abu Dhabi
RCB: 92/10 (19)
KKR: 94/1 (10)
KKR won by 9 wickets
Varun Chakaravarthy (3/13)
29
11 Oct 2021
Sharjah
RCB: 138/7 (20)
KKR: 139/6 (19.4)
KKR won by 4 wickets (Eliminator)
Sunil Narine (4/21 & 26)
30
30 Mar 2022
Mumbai (DY)
KKR: 128/10 (18.5)
RCB: 132/7 (19.2)
RCB won by 3 wickets
Wanindu Hasaranga (4/20)
31
06 Apr 2023
Kolkata
KKR: 204/7 (20)
RCB: 123/10 (17.4)
KKR won by 81 runs
Shardul Thakur (68 off 29 & 1/15)
32
26 Apr 2023
Bengaluru
KKR: 200/5 (20)
RCB: 179/8 (20)
KKR won by 21 runs
Varun Chakaravarthy (3/27)
33
29 Mar 2024
Bengaluru
RCB: 182/6 (20)
KKR: 183/3 (16.5)
KKR won by 7 wickets
Sunil Narine (47 off 22 & 1/40)
34
21 Apr 2024
Kolkata
KKR: 222/6 (20)
RCB: 221/10 (20)
KKR won by 1 run
Andre Russell (27 & 3/25)
35
22 Mar 2025
Kolkata
KKR: 174/8 (20)
RCB: 177/3 (18.2)
RCB won by 7 wickets
Virat Kohli (83* off 52)
36
17 May 2025
Bengaluru
RCB: 215/5 (20)
KKR: 201/7 (20)
RCB won by 14 runs
Rajat Patidar (73 off 32)
37
18 May 2026
Kolkata
RCB: 198/6 (20)
KKR: 199/4 (19.1)
KKR won by 6 wickets
Rinku Singh (42* off 18)
FAQs:
1. When did the KKR vs RCB rivalry begin? It started in the inaugural 2008 IPL season and has remained a regular high-scoring matchup ever since.
2. Which team has the better head-to-head record? The record is relatively balanced, with both sides trading wins and producing several close and memorable contests over the years.
3. What are the highest scores in KKR vs RCB matches? Both teams have posted 200+ totals on multiple occasions, making this one of the more free-scoring rivalries in the IPL.
4. Who are the standout players in this rivalry? Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for RCB; Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and other impact players for KKR have delivered strong performances.
5. Why is Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru exciting for fans? The clash features aggressive batting, frequent high totals, and competitive finishes, ensuring entertaining cricket every time the two teams meet.
