Updated October 2026 | All stats are as of the end of IPL 2026 (final played 31 May 2026).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL History: Royal Challengers Bengaluru have played 290 IPL matches since 2008, winning 145, losing 138 and with 7 no results, a win rate of 51.2% in matches with a result. They have won 2 IPL titles (2025, 2026), reached 5 finals and made the playoffs in 11 of their 19 seasons. This page covers the full history of the franchise: how it was formed, every season’s finish, the great teams and the bad ones, the record against every opponent, the home ground, the all-time leading players and the biggest signings.
For every IPL rivalry, start at our IPL head to head records hub. For every season’s champion, see the IPL winners list.
Franchise Origin, Ownership and Identity
Royal Challengers were founded in 2008 when Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries group paid 111.6 million US dollars for the Bangalore franchise, the second-highest price at the original auction. The team was named after the Royal Challenge whisky brand and was later run by United Spirits, the Diageo-controlled drinks company. In 2026 United Spirits sold the franchise, together with its women’s team, to a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group and the Times of India Group, with Bolt Ventures and Blackstone, in a deal worth about 1.78 billion US dollars. The franchise was known as Royal Challengers Bangalore until March 2024, when it changed its name to Royal Challengers Bengaluru to match the city’s official name. Virat Kohli was signed as an under-19 player in 2008 and has played every IPL season for the team, the only player to have spent his entire IPL career at one franchise since 2008.
For seventeen seasons RCB were the most famous team never to win the IPL. They reached the final in 2009, 2011 and 2016 and lost all three, and their batting line-ups, with Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, set many of the league’s scoring records without ever bringing a title. That changed in 2025 and 2026. The 2025 title celebrations were overshadowed when eleven people died in a crowd crush outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium the day after the final.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 (one of the original eight franchises) |
| City | Bengaluru |
| Home ground | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
| IPL titles | 2 (2025, 2026) |
| Finals played | 5 |
| Playoff appearances | 11 |
| All-time record | P 290, W 145, L 138, NR 7 |
Title History and Finals Record
| Season | Opponent | Result | Margin | Venue | Player of the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Deccan Chargers | Lost | DCG by 6 runs | New Wanderers Stadium | Anil Kumble |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings | Lost | CSK by 58 runs | MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) | Murali Vijay |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lost | SRH by 8 runs | M Chinnaswamy Stadium | Ben Cutting |
| 2025 | Punjab Kings | Won | RCB by 6 runs | Narendra Modi Stadium | Krunal Pandya |
| 2026 | Gujarat Titans | Won | RCB by 5 wickets | Narendra Modi Stadium | Virat Kohli |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won 2 of their 5 finals. They lost the final in 2009, 2011, 2016.
24 May 2009, New Wanderers Stadium (Final): DCG batted first and made 143/6, led by Herschelle Gibbs 53* (48), with Anil Kumble 4/16 the pick of the RCB bowlers. RCB replied with 137/9, RE van der Merwe 32 (21) top-scoring as Pragyan Ojha 3/28 did the damage for DCG. DCG won by 6 runs. Player of the match: Anil Kumble.
28 May 2011, MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) (Final): CSK batted first and made 205/5, led by Murali Vijay 95 (52), with Chris Gayle 2/34 the pick of the RCB bowlers. RCB replied with 147/8, Saurabh Tiwary 42* (34) top-scoring as Ravichandran Ashwin 3/16 did the damage for CSK. CSK won by 58 runs. Player of the match: Murali Vijay.
29 May 2016, M Chinnaswamy Stadium (Final): SRH batted first and made 208/7, led by David Warner 69 (38), with Chris Jordan 3/45 the pick of the RCB bowlers. RCB replied with 200/7, Chris Gayle 76 (38) top-scoring as Ben Cutting 2/35 did the damage for SRH. SRH won by 8 runs. Player of the match: Ben Cutting.
3 Jun 2025, Narendra Modi Stadium (Final): RCB batted first and made 190/9, led by Virat Kohli 43 (35), with Arshdeep Singh 3/40 the pick of the PBKS bowlers. PBKS replied with 184/7, Shashank Singh 61* (30) top-scoring as Krunal Pandya 2/17 did the damage for RCB. RCB won by 6 runs. Player of the match: Krunal Pandya.
31 May 2026, Narendra Modi Stadium (Final): GT batted first and made 155/8, led by Washington Sundar 50* (37), with Rasikh Salam 3/27 the pick of the RCB bowlers. RCB replied with 161/5, Virat Kohli 75* (42) top-scoring as Rashid Khan 2/25 did the damage for GT. RCB won by 5 wickets. Player of the match: Virat Kohli.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL History: Season-by-Season Finishing Positions
| Season | Played as | League position | Pts | Final finish | P | W | L | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7th of 8 | 8 | League stage | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| 2009 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 3rd of 8 | 16 | Runners-up | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 4th of 8 | 14 | Lost semi-final | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 1st of 10 | 19 | Runners-up | 17 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| 2012 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 5th of 9 | 17 | League stage | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 2013 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 5th of 9 | 18 | League stage | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2014 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 7th of 8 | 10 | League stage | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2nd of 8 | 16 | Lost Qualifier 2 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2nd of 8 | 16 | Runners-up | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2017 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 8th of 8 | 7 | League stage | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| 2018 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 6th of 8 | 12 | League stage | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| 2019 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 8th of 8 | 11 | League stage | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| 2020 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 4th of 8 | 14 | Lost Eliminator | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| 2021 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 3rd of 8 | 18 | Lost Eliminator | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 2022 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 4th of 10 | 16 | Lost Qualifier 2 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2023 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 6th of 10 | 14 | League stage | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 4th of 10 | 14 | Lost Eliminator | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| 2025 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2nd of 10 | 19 | Champions | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| 2026 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 1st of 10 | 18 | Champions | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
League position is the team’s place in the points table at the end of the league stage, before the playoffs, ranked by points and then net run rate. ‘Final finish’ shows how far the team went in the playoffs. P, W, L and NR include playoff matches. Tied matches are counted as wins for the team that won the Super Over.
The best season by win rate was 2025, with 11 wins from 16 matches. The worst was 2017, with 3 wins from 14.
The Golden Era and the Lean Years
The golden era
The golden era is now. Under Rajat Patidar, appointed captain before the 2025 season, RCB won their first title in 2025, beating Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad, and defended it in 2026, beating Gujarat Titans in the final by five wickets with Kohli unbeaten on 75. Before that, the best years were 2009 to 2011, when they reached two finals in three seasons under Anil Kumble and then Daniel Vettori, and 2015-2016, when the Kohli-de Villiers-Gayle line-up reached a final and a Qualifier 2. In 2016 Kohli scored 973 runs, still the record for one IPL season.
The lean years
RCB’s lean years were the late 2010s. They finished last in 2017, when they were bowled out for 49 by Kolkata, the lowest total in IPL history, and last again in 2019. Between 2017 and 2019 they won only 14 of 42 matches. The 2020s brought steady playoff appearances, four in five seasons from 2020 to 2024, but each ended in an Eliminator or Qualifier 2 defeat until the breakthrough in 2025.
Record Against Every Other Franchise
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | NR | Win % | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai Indians | 36 | 17 | 19 | 0 | 47.2% | 20 Apr 2008 | 10 May 2026 |
| Punjab Kings | 38 | 20 | 18 | 0 | 52.6% | 5 May 2008 | 17 May 2026 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 36 | 14 | 21 | 1 | 40.0% | 28 Apr 2008 | 5 Apr 2026 |
| Delhi Capitals | 35 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 61.8% | 30 Apr 2008 | 27 Apr 2026 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 37 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 44.4% | 18 Apr 2008 | 13 May 2026 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 35 | 17 | 15 | 3 | 53.1% | 26 Apr 2008 | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 28 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 44.4% | 7 Apr 2013 | 22 May 2026 |
| Gujarat Titans | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 60.0% | 30 Apr 2022 | 31 May 2026 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 62.5% | 19 Apr 2022 | 7 May 2026 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s most one-sided rivalry is against Delhi Capitals: 21 wins and 13 defeats in 35 matches. The toughest opponent has been Chennai Super Kings, with 14 wins and 21 defeats. Records include each opponent’s earlier names (Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore). Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants joined in 2022, so those rivalries are shorter. Each opponent name links to the full head-to-head page where it is published.
Against former franchises
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deccan Chargers | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Pune Warriors | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Gujarat Lions | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Rising Pune Supergiant | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kochi Tuskers Kerala | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Home Ground and Home Record
Royal Challengers Bengaluru play their home matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. They have played 104 IPL matches there, winning 50, losing 47 and with 7 no results: a win rate of 51.5%. Away from home, including neutral venues and the seasons played in South Africa (2009) and the UAE (2014 in part, 2020 and 2021 in part), their record is 95 wins and 91 defeats from 186 matches (51.1%).
| Season | Home matches | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 2010 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2011 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| 2012 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| 2013 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 2014 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2015 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| 2016 | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| 2017 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
| 2018 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2019 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| 2023 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 2026 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
The highest total Royal Challengers Bengaluru have made at home is 263, against PWI on 23 Apr 2013. Seasons with no home matches are the ones played away from India or in a bubble: 2009 in South Africa, 2020 in the UAE and 2021, when the league was split between India and the UAE and teams did not play at their own grounds.
All-Time Leading Run Scorers and Wicket Takers
Top 10 run scorers
| Rank | Player | Matches | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 283 | 9336 | 40.42 | 134.80 | 9 | 68 | 317 |
| 2 | AB de Villiers | 156 | 4491 | 41.20 | 158.64 | 2 | 37 | 238 |
| 3 | Chris Gayle | 85 | 3163 | 43.33 | 152.73 | 5 | 19 | 239 |
| 4 | Faf du Plessis | 45 | 1636 | 38.05 | 146.99 | 0 | 15 | 70 |
| 5 | Rajat Patidar | 57 | 1612 | 33.58 | 164.49 | 1 | 14 | 110 |
| 6 | Devdutt Padikkal | 55 | 1595 | 31.27 | 139.18 | 1 | 11 | 60 |
| 7 | Glenn Maxwell | 52 | 1266 | 28.77 | 159.25 | 0 | 12 | 69 |
| 8 | Jacques Kallis | 42 | 1132 | 31.44 | 112.19 | 0 | 10 | 21 |
| 9 | Dinesh Karthik | 60 | 937 | 24.66 | 162.96 | 0 | 3 | 53 |
| 10 | Rahul Dravid | 43 | 898 | 26.41 | 122.85 | 0 | 4 | 17 |
Virat Kohli is the franchise’s leading run scorer with 9336 runs in 283 matches, 4845 more than AB de Villiers. Figures count only matches played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Top 10 wicket takers
| Rank | Player | Matches | Wickets | Avg | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuzvendra Chahal | 113 | 139 | 22.04 | 7.58 |
| 2 | Harshal Patel | 80 | 99 | 23.17 | 8.48 |
| 3 | Mohammed Siraj | 87 | 83 | 31.45 | 8.60 |
| 4 | Vinay Kumar | 64 | 72 | 25.31 | 8.38 |
| 5 | Josh Hazlewood | 40 | 60 | 22.22 | 8.83 |
| 6 | Zaheer Khan | 44 | 49 | 26.78 | 7.86 |
| 7 | Anil Kumble | 42 | 45 | 23.51 | 6.58 |
| 8 | Sreenath Aravind | 38 | 45 | 23.09 | 8.20 |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 30 | 45 | 21.87 | 8.56 |
| 10 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 26 | 35 | 21.37 | 8.13 |
Yuzvendra Chahal has taken the most wickets for the franchise, 139. Most capped: Virat Kohli (283), AB de Villiers (156), Yuzvendra Chahal (113), Mohammed Siraj (87), Chris Gayle (85).
Playoff Record and Biggest Results
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have played 20 playoff and knockout matches, winning 10 and losing 10. The table lists every one, from the semi-finals of 2008-2010 to the Qualifiers, Eliminators and finals since 2011.
| Season | Stage | Opponent | Result | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Semi Final | Chennai Super Kings | Won | 6 wickets |
| 2009 | Final | Deccan Chargers | Lost | 6 runs |
| 2010 | Semi Final | Mumbai Indians | Lost | 35 runs |
| 2010 | 3rd Place Play-Off | Deccan Chargers | Won | 9 wickets |
| 2011 | Qualifier 1 | Chennai Super Kings | Lost | 6 wickets |
| 2011 | Qualifier 2 | Mumbai Indians | Won | 43 runs |
| 2011 | Final | Chennai Super Kings | Lost | 58 runs |
| 2015 | Eliminator | Rajasthan Royals | Won | 71 runs |
| 2015 | Qualifier 2 | Chennai Super Kings | Lost | 3 wickets |
| 2016 | Qualifier 1 | Gujarat Lions | Won | 4 wickets |
| 2016 | Final | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lost | 8 runs |
| 2020 | Eliminator | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lost | 6 wickets |
| 2021 | Eliminator | Kolkata Knight Riders | Lost | 4 wickets |
| 2022 | Eliminator | Lucknow Super Giants | Won | 14 runs |
| 2022 | Qualifier 2 | Rajasthan Royals | Lost | 7 wickets |
| 2024 | Eliminator | Rajasthan Royals | Lost | 4 wickets |
| 2025 | Qualifier 1 | Punjab Kings | Won | 8 wickets |
| 2025 | Final | Punjab Kings | Won | 6 runs |
| 2026 | Qualifier 1 | Gujarat Titans | Won | 92 runs |
| 2026 | Final | Gujarat Titans | Won | 5 wickets |
Biggest wins by runs
| Date | Opponent | Margin | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2016 | GL | 144 runs | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
| 6 May 2015 | PBKS | 138 runs | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
| 23 Apr 2013 | PWI | 130 runs | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
| 14 May 2023 | RR | 112 runs | Sawai Mansingh Stadium |
| 26 May 2026 | GT | 92 runs | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium |
Heaviest defeats by runs
| Date | Opponent | Margin | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Apr 2008 | KKR | 140 runs | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
| 31 Mar 2019 | SRH | 118 runs | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium |
| 17 May 2011 | PBKS | 111 runs | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium |
| 24 Sep 2020 | PBKS | 97 runs | Dubai International Cricket Stadium |
| 20 Apr 2009 | CSK | 92 runs | St George’s Park |
Highest and lowest totals
| Type | Total | Opponent | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | 263/5 | PWI | 2013 |
| Highest | 262/7 | SRH | 2024 |
| Highest | 254/5 | GT | 2026 |
| Highest | 250/3 | CSK | 2026 |
| Highest | 248/3 | GL | 2016 |
| Lowest (all out) | 49 | KKR | 2017 |
| Lowest (all out) | 68 | SRH | 2022 |
| Lowest (all out) | 70 | RR | 2014 |
Most player of the match awards for the franchise
| Player | Awards |
|---|---|
| AB de Villiers | 23 |
| Virat Kohli | 21 |
| Chris Gayle | 17 |
| Jacques Kallis | 5 |
| Rajat Patidar | 5 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 4 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 4 |
| Faf du Plessis | 4 |
The franchise’s record win by runs is 144 runs against GL in 2016, and its heaviest defeat 140 runs against KKR in 2008. AB de Villiers has won the most player of the match awards in Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins, 23.
Biggest Auction Buys and Best Bargains
RCB’s most expensive signing was the New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, bought for 15 crore rupees in the 2021 auction; he took nine wickets and did not return. In the 2025 mega auction they rebuilt the squad around Kohli with Josh Hazlewood (12.5 crore), Phil Salt (11.5 crore) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10.75 crore), and that group won the next two titles. The bargains include Yuzvendra Chahal, who joined in 2014 as a little-known leg-spinner and became the franchise’s leading wicket-taker, and Rajat Patidar himself, first signed for 20 lakh in 2021 and brought back as an injury replacement in 2022, when he scored a hundred in the Eliminator.
Auction fees are the prices announced at the auction table. Retained players and trades are not included, and prices are in Indian rupees (1 crore = 10 million rupees; 1 lakh = 100,000 rupees).
Current Squad Core
These are the players who appeared most often for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026, with their numbers for the season. Squads change through retentions, trades and the auction before each season, so treat this as the core that ended the latest season rather than a confirmed list for 2027.
- Virat Kohli: 16 matches, 675 runs at a strike rate of 165.85
- Devdutt Padikkal: 16 matches, 464 runs at a strike rate of 168.73
- Jitesh Sharma: 16 matches, 116 runs at a strike rate of 122.11
- Tim David: 16 matches, 305 runs at a strike rate of 188.27
- Krunal Pandya: 16 matches, 226 runs at a strike rate of 145.81, 14 wickets at an economy of 8.42
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 16 matches, 28 wickets at an economy of 7.95
- Rajat Patidar: 15 matches, 501 runs at a strike rate of 192.69
- Romario Shepherd: 15 matches, 7 wickets at an economy of 11.92
- Josh Hazlewood: 13 matches, 15 wickets at an economy of 9.59
- Suyash Sharma: 12 matches, 9 wickets at an economy of 9.21
- Rasikh Salam: 12 matches, 19 wickets at an economy of 9.46
- Venkatesh Iyer: 7 matches, 209 runs at a strike rate of 186.61
- JG Bethell: 7 matches
- Jacob Duffy: 6 matches, 9 wickets at an economy of 10.96
For the leading individual records across the league, see most wickets in IPL history, most sixes in IPL history and the Orange Cap winners list.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many IPL titles have Royal Challengers Bengaluru won?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won 2 IPL titles: 2025, 2026. They have played in 5 finals.
Who is the most successful Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain?
Rajat Patidar is the only RCB captain to win the IPL: he led the team to the 2025 and 2026 titles in his first two seasons as captain. Virat Kohli captained the team in the most matches, leading RCB from 2013 to 2021 and taking them to the 2016 final.
Where is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru home ground?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru play home matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where they have won 50 of 104 IPL matches.