RCB Vs KKR is a match-up which has a fair bit of history behind it. Both sides played the first game of the IPL against each other, and have had a lot of close games. While there are some nice close finishes, both sides also have a habit of scoring low against each other. Both sides have a fair share of totals under 100 each other, which adds another interesting dimension to the fight. While such games may seem one-sided, the frequency of the low totals makes their match-ups spicy.

RCB Vs KKR, Match 1, 2008

The inaugural season of the IPL couldn’t have asked for a better start. There was a score above 200 scored in the first innings, and a fine aggressive innings from a T20 great in Brendan Mccullum. Mccullum set the stage on fire with his famous 158, and hit ten sixes in the innings. He showed how T20 cricket should be played, and KKR followed it up with a brilliant bowling performance. They got Bangalore all-out for 82 giving the IPL two sides of the scoring spectrum with one side scoring big and the other struggling. The win is still spoken about highly today and an RCB Vs KKR fixture always goes back to this game.

RCB Vs KKR, Match 11, 2014

Unlike the IPL opener, the fixture in 2014 saw a closer match-up between the two sides. The Kolkata Knight Riders got to 150, with Chris Lynn scoring a quality 45, and Suryakumar Yadav demonstrating his finishing skills with a 24. Bangalore in return, got off to a good start, with the top-four getting starts. Takawale and Kohli both looked comfortable, but a struggle from Yuvraj, similar to the 2014 World Cup finals kept KKR in the hunt.

The game went in to the final over with nine needed. Ab De Villiers and Morkel were in together. With two strong finishers in the middle, the pressure was on KKR, but a fantastic catch from Chris Lynn changed the momentum. He pulled off a blinder to dismiss Ab, with six needed off three, and from there the defense was a little easier. KKR won by two runs to win a close game, and spoil Bangalore’s momentum.

RCB Vs KKR, Match 27, 2017

2017 was a horrible season for RCB. They struggled with momentum, had to battle with injuries, and could not find any momentum. The lowest point of their tournament came against Kolkata. The bowlers did well to restrict Kolkata to a mere 131. The target looked easy with some fantastic chasers in Bangalore’s side, but instead there was an epic collapse. Bangalore kept losing wickets, and no batter went in to single digits. They were all-out for 49, which is still the lowest score in IPL history. Kedar Jadhav was the highest scorer, with nine and the scorecard resembled a phone number on a forgettable day for Bangalore.

RCB Vs KKR, Match 35, 2019

RCB Vs KKR in 2019 produced some amazing games. In the first fixture, Andre Russell produced a blinder to finish an unlikely chase against Bangalore. In the second fixture, there was a touch more to watch. Virat Kohli made a century and Moeen Ali scored 66 off just 28 balls. He took 27 runs off Kuldeep Yadav, and damaged his confidence completely. With a strong finish, RCB finished on 213. The score was just enough as KKR fought back well to come close.

Nitish Rana led the fight back with a good 85, after a poor start for Kolkata. He kept Kolkata in the game despite the early wickets and Robin Uthappa’s slow innings. The slow innings however from Uthappa, left too much for the end. Russell walked with 134 needed off eight overs, and took the game close. He threatened to take another game away from Bangalore, but some good from Ali in the final over saved Bangalore from defeat.

RCB Vs KKR, Match 39, IPL 2020

Match 39 was all about Mohammad Siraj. The young bowler was famous among trollers up until the fixture, as he had a poor economy rate. He however came into the game with a point to prove. He took three early wickets to stun the Kolkata batters, and dent their start. In the process, Siraj became the first bowler to bowl consecutive maiden overs in an IPL game. KKR were three down in the third over, and couldn’t recover from there. They kept losing wickets, and RCB’s bowlers supported Siraj nicely. A patient 30 from Eoin Morgan ensured KKR weren’t all-out, but they were nowhere near a respectable total. They finished at 84 for eight, and the chase was a simple one for Bangalore.

The win helped Bangalore boost their net-run-rate as they were very close to sealing a playoff spot. Kolkata on the other hand were badly affected by the loss. They lost momentum in the season, and a poor net-run-rate saw them lose out on a playoff spot despite having enough points as the side on fourth.