Few fixtures in the Indian Premier League carry as much history as Royal Challengers Bengaluru versus Kolkata Knight Riders. This was the very first match the IPL ever played, back on 18 April 2008, and it has delivered everything since: a 140-run annihilation, a 49 all out, a one-run thriller, and two sides that are now both IPL champions. With KKR holding three titles and RCB winning back-to-back crowns in 2025 and 2026, this is a rivalry between two of the league’s most decorated clubs. Here is the complete RCB vs KKR head to head record, the key stats, and every result that shaped it.
RCB vs KKR head to head: quick facts
| Stat | RCB | KKR |
|---|---|---|
| Matches played (completed) | 36 | 36 |
| Wins | 16 | 20 |
| No result / abandoned | 1 (May 2025) | |
| Highest team total | 221 all out (2024) | 222/6 (2024) |
| Lowest team total | 49 all out (2017) | 84/8 (2020) |
| IPL titles | 2 (2025, 2026) | 3 (2012, 2014, 2024) |
| Most runs in the fixture | Virat Kohli (1,021) | Gautam Gambhir (530) |
| Most wickets in the fixture | Yuzvendra Chahal (19) | Sunil Narine (27) |
Overall record: KKR lead 20-16
Across 36 completed IPL meetings, Kolkata Knight Riders lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru 20 wins to 16. One further fixture, the return game of the 2025 season, was abandoned without a result. KKR’s edge was built in the early years: they swept both meetings in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024. RCB have had their own dominant spells, taking both games in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2020, and they have won the last two completed meetings, including the IPL 2025 season opener at Eden Gardens and their 2026 clash.
The gap has narrowed in recent years. After years of chasing, RCB broke a four-match losing streak against KKR by winning the opening game of IPL 2025 by seven wickets in Kolkata, and they backed it up in 2026. Between 2008 and 2026, KKR’s win percentage against RCB stands at roughly 56 percent, one of the strongest any franchise holds over a single opponent in league history.
It started with the first IPL match ever
The rivalry began on the night the IPL was born. On 18 April 2008 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB hosted KKR in the first match in tournament history, and Brendon McCullum announced the league’s arrival with an unbeaten 158 off 73 balls, the first century in IPL history. KKR piled up 222/3 and bowled RCB out for 82, winning by 140 runs, still the biggest win by runs in this fixture.
Seventeen years later, in 2025, these same two teams opened another IPL season, this time at Eden Gardens, with RCB winning by seven wickets. The fixture has now bookended the league’s journey in a way no other matchup can claim.
Extremes: 49 all out and a one-run thriller
This rivalry is defined by extremes. The lowest point for RCB fans came in 2017 at Eden Gardens, when KKR bowled them out for just 49, the lowest team total in the entire history of the IPL. RCB had earlier restricted KKR to 131 in that same game, making the collapse even more remarkable.
At the other end of the scale, the 2024 meeting at Eden Gardens produced one of the greatest games the league has seen. KKR posted 222/6 and RCB, chasing, fell agonisingly short at 221, losing by a single run in a 443-run thriller. KKR’s 222/6 is the highest total either side has managed in this fixture, with RCB’s 221 the second highest. The earlier 2008 meeting also saw KKR make 222/3, showing how this fixture has repeatedly produced scoreboard-busting cricket.
Where the games are won: venue record
KKR have dominated at both teams’ home grounds. At Eden Gardens, the teams have met 13 times with KKR winning 8 and RCB 5. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, 12 completed meetings have produced 8 KKR wins to RCB’s 4, plus one abandoned fixture. On neutral venues, RCB have the better record, which underlines how much this fixture has been decided by home advantage.
The two sides have met only once in the playoffs: the 2021 Eliminator at Sharjah, where KKR won by four wickets to end RCB’s season. They have never met in an IPL final, despite both being regular contenders. With RCB now back-to-back champions and KKR three-time winners, a first final meeting between them would be one of the most anticipated games in league history.
Top performers in RCB vs KKR matches
No batter owns this fixture like Virat Kohli. The former RCB captain has scored 1,021 runs in RCB vs KKR matches, the most by any player in the rivalry, and he played a starring role in their 2025 and 2026 title runs. Chris Gayle follows with 606 runs, including a 102 not out, while AB de Villiers made 475. For KKR, Gautam Gambhir leads their run charts in this fixture with 530.
With the ball, Sunil Narine has been KKR’s tormentor-in-chief, taking 27 wickets in this fixture, the most by any bowler. Yuzvendra Chahal, who played most of his rivalry cricket for RCB, took 19 wickets, while Andre Russell has 17. Narine’s dual role, opening the batting and bowling his mystery spin, has repeatedly swung these games Kolkata’s way.
Season-by-season results
- 2008: KKR won both (by 140 runs in the IPL’s first ever match; by 5 runs).
- 2009: RCB won both (by 6 wickets; by 5 wickets).
- 2010: One win each (RCB by 7 wickets; KKR by 7 wickets).
- 2011: RCB won both (by 4 wickets via DLS; by 9 wickets).
- 2012: KKR won both (by 47 runs; by 42 runs) in their first title season.
- 2013: One win each (KKR by 5 wickets; RCB by 8 wickets).
- 2014: KKR won both (by 30 runs; by 2 runs) in their second title season.
- 2015: RCB won both (by 7 wickets; by 3 wickets).
- 2016: One win each (RCB by 9 wickets; KKR by 5 wickets).
- 2017: KKR won both (by 82 runs, bowling RCB out for 49; by 6 wickets).
- 2018: KKR won both (by 6 wickets; by 4 wickets).
- 2019: One win each (RCB by 10 runs, with Kohli scoring a century; KKR by 5 wickets).
- 2020: RCB won both (by 82 runs; by 8 wickets).
- 2021: KKR won twice including the Eliminator at Sharjah (by 4 wickets); RCB won once (by 38 runs).
- 2022: RCB won the only meeting (by 3 wickets).
- 2023: KKR won both (by 81 runs; by 21 runs).
- 2024: KKR won both (by 1 run in the Eden Gardens classic; by 7 wickets).
- 2025: RCB won the season opener by 7 wickets at Eden Gardens; the return fixture was abandoned without a result.
- 2026: RCB won the only meeting (by 6 wickets).
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the RCB vs KKR head to head record?
Kolkata Knight Riders lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru 20-16 across 36 completed IPL matches, with one fixture abandoned without a result.
What is RCB’s lowest score against KKR?
RCB were bowled out for 49 against KKR at Eden Gardens in 2017, which remains the lowest team total in IPL history.
What was the first ever IPL match?
RCB vs KKR at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on 18 April 2008. Brendon McCullum scored 158 not out as KKR won by 140 runs.
Who has scored the most runs in RCB vs KKR matches?
Virat Kohli, with 1,021 runs in the fixture, the most by any player. Sunil Narine has taken the most wickets (27).
Have RCB and KKR ever met in an IPL final?
No. They have met once in the playoffs, the 2021 Eliminator at Sharjah, which KKR won by four wickets. An RCB vs KKR final has never happened.
How many IPL titles have RCB and KKR won?
KKR have won three IPL titles (2012, 2014, 2024). RCB have won two, back-to-back in 2025 and 2026, and are the defending champions.
Conclusion
KKR lead the head to head, but the momentum of this rivalry has shifted. For years it was the story of KKR’s spin, home dominance and RCB’s collapses, symbolised by that 49 all out in 2017. Now RCB are back-to-back champions and have won the last two completed meetings, while KKR remain three-time winners with one of the league’s strongest squads. The next chapter of RCB vs KKR, whenever these two champions meet, should be every bit as dramatic as the first.
