NEW DELHI:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(RCB) are set to play their 250th Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
This milestone marks a significant point in their journey, which has been filled with highs and lows, the emergence of some of the league's biggest stars, and a dedicated fanbase, despite not having won a title yet.
RCB desperately need a victory, as they have suffered six consecutive losses so far. They are currently at the bottom of the points table with one win and seven losses, giving them a total of two points. On the other hand, SRH are in third place with five wins and two losses, accumulating 10 points.
In their 249 matches so far, RCB have emerged victorious in 117 and suffered defeat in 128. Four games have ended without a result. Their win percentage stands at 46.18 per cent.
RCB have reached the IPL finals three times - in 2009, 2011, and 2016. However, they have yet to lift the trophy, losing by six runs to Deccan Chargers in 2009, by 58 runs to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2011, and by eight runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016.
Apart from these finals, RCB have reached the final four stage of the tournament five more times in 2010, 2015, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Star India batter Virat Kohli is the franchise's leading run-scorer with 7,642 runs at an average of 38.01 and a strike rate of over 130, including eight centuries and 52 fifties. His best score is 113*. Virat has been with the franchise since the inception of the IPL in 2008.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who played for the franchise from 2014-21, is RCB's leading wicket-taker with 139 wickets in 113 matches. Among the current players,
Mohammed Siraj
is the highest wicket-taker for the franchise, with 73 scalps in 80 games.
Throughout the years, despite not winning an IPL title, RCB has provided fans with numerous memorable moments. These include the rescue acts and 360-degree hitting by South African legend
AB de Villiers
(4,491 runs in 156 matches at an average of 41.20 and a strike rate of over 158 with two centuries and 37 fifties), the brute six-hitting by West Indies great Chris Gayle (3,163 runs in 85 matches at an average of 43.32, with a strike rate of over 152, five centuries, and 19 fifties), including his unbeaten 175* off 66 balls against Pune Warriors India in 2013, and Virat Kohli's record-breaking season in 2016, where he scored 973 runs at an average of above 81 and a strike rate above 152 with four centuries and seven fifties, winning the 'Orange Cap'.
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By smashing 263 against PWI in 2013, the team held the record for the highest total in IPL history until the start of this season, when Sunrisers Hyderabad broke it twice by registering totals of 277 and 287, the latter against RCB recently. RCB also holds the record for the lowest IPL total, being bundled out for 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2017.
The dynamic trio of Kohli, De Villiers, and Gayle brought a lot of fandom to the franchise in the 2010s. Their legacy is now carried forward in the 2020s by Kohli, Glenn (Maxwell), and Faf (Du Plessis), known as the 'KGF' among fans.
(Inputs from ANI)
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