Rajasthan Royals needed 18 runs off the last 12 balls with 4 wickets in hand. The match was theirs to win. Josh Hazlewood ran in to bowl the 19th over. He took 2 wickets and conceded 1 run in 6 balls. 18 needed off 12 became 17 needed off 6. Then the match was over.
That single over 6 balls, 2 dismissals, 1 run is exactly what makes the RCB vs RR rivalry worth studying beyond the scorecards. This fixture has produced centuries in losing causes, 58-run collapses, 217-run totals, and 202-run chases. It has been played 35 times across 18 IPL seasons, and the ledger reads RCB 17 wins, RR 15 wins.
Two runs separate them across 35 matches and 18 years of competition. That is the rivalry.
Head-to-Head at a Glance: RCB vs RR (Updated IPL 2026)
Overall Record
Venue Symmetry: Home Advantage Does Not Exist in This Fixture
Perfectly balanced. Chinnaswamy is 4-4. Jaipur is 5-5.
The standard IPL assumption is that home ground advantage is worth 1-2 wins per season. In the RCB vs RR fixture, that assumption collapses completely. Both teams have won exactly half their home matches against each other. The reason is probably structural Chinnaswamy is a flat bat-first pitch that suits both teams equally, and Jaipur (SMS) is a slower surface where the bowling side adapts well regardless of the home team. If you are betting on home advantage in this fixture specifically, you should stop.
IPL 2008–2012: Early Exchanges. The Rivalry Takes Shape
The rivalry began on April 26, 2008. IPL’s inaugural season, Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru. Rajasthan Royals won by 7 wickets. RR won both matches in IPL 2008. The same season they won their only IPL title.
RR’s 2008 dominance over RCB in the inaugural season was a preview of how evenly matched these teams would be across 18 seasons. RR won 2008. RCB won 2009 (at home at Chinnaswamy). Both franchises settled into the upper-mid tier never consistently the best, never the worst producing a competitive H2H that mirrors their overall IPL profiles.
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2009 Cape Town — RR 58 All Out: Both teams produced their lowest-ever IPL totals against each other in the same season. RR were bowled out for 58 at Cape Town (the IPL was played in South Africa in 2009 due to elections). RCB were dismissed for 70 in a separate match. That single season produced both the highest and lowest extremes of this rivalry’s scoring range.
IPL 2018: RR 217/4 at Chinnaswamy. The Highest Score in This Fixture
May 2018. M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Rajasthan Royals posted 217/4. Their highest-ever score against RCB in IPL history and defended it, beating RCB by 19 runs.
217/4 at Chinnaswamy is significant not just as a fixture record, but because it was posted at RCB’s home ground. Chinnaswamy is theoretically the stadium that gives RCB’s batters an edge short boundaries, flat surface, partisan crowd. For RR to post 217 at Chinnaswamy and then defend it is the single most complete performance RR have produced in this rivalry’s history.
RR’s 217/4 remained the highest total in this fixture until IPL 2025, when RCB posted 205/5 at the same ground still 12 runs short of matching it.
IPL 2022: RR’s Title Run. How the H2H Shifted
Rajasthan Royals reached the IPL 2022 Final (losing to Gujarat Titans). They won their match against RCB in 2022, extending their H2H equity in the rivalry.
RR’s IPL 2022 title run was their first Final since 2008. But it did not shift the H2H with RCB significantly because RCB were themselves strong in 2022, qualifying for the playoffs. Both teams improved simultaneously. The H2H remained close because both franchises tend to peak and decline in tandem.
IPL 2023: RR 59 All Out at Jaipur. Third-Lowest IPL Total in History
2023, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
RCB bowled RR out for 59 their home ground, their own pitch, their own crowd. Third-lowest total in IPL history. RR’s second-lowest ever score against any opponent (only behind their own 58 at Cape Town in 2009, also against RCB).
RCB’s bowling combination which included Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga on a pitch that provided unexpected movement found consistent edges and top edges in the powerplay. Once RR’s top four collapsed inside the first 6 overs, the middle order had no platform. The entire innings took under 10 overs.
The fact that RR’s two lowest IPL scores (58 in Cape Town 2009, and 59 in Jaipur 2023) are both against RCB is not coincidental it suggests RCB’s bowling attack has historically matched up well against RR’s batting vulnerabilities, particularly when pitches provide lateral movement. The “RCB can bowl” chapter of this rivalry is written at Jaipur and Cape Town not at Chinnaswamy.
IPL 2024: Kohli 113 in a Losing Cause Buttler 100 + Samson 69 Chased It Down
April 6, 2024. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
| Team | Score | Key Batter |
|---|---|---|
| RCB | 183/3 (20 overs) | Virat Kohli 113 off 63 balls |
| RR | 189/4 (19.1 overs) | Jos Buttler 100 + Samson 69 |
| Result | RR won by 6 wkts |
Kohli 113 off 63 balls RCB’s highest individual score in this fixture’s history, posted in a losing cause. Kohli struck 7 fours and 7 sixes. His 113 looked enough to win on any normal day 183 chased at Jaipur is genuinely difficult. Then Buttler and Samson happened.
Buttler 100 + Samson 69. Combined partnership that absorbed Kohli’s 113 and added 30 more. RR chased 184 with 5 balls remaining.
Turning point Buttler vs Siraj in overs 11-14: RR needed 80 off 60 at the halfway mark tough but achievable. Buttler accelerated from 40 off 35 to 75 off 45 across that period specifically targeting Siraj’s short-pitched deliveries by pulling over midwicket. That acceleration window was where the match was decided.
Kohli’s 113 off 63 in a losing cause is actually a more impressive innings than Buttler’s match-winning 100. Kohli batted on a Jaipur pitch against Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, and Yuzvendra Chahal — RR’s full-strength bowling attack — and still scored at a strike rate above 179. Buttler’s 100 benefited from a Chinnaswamy-level chase pace, not a Jaipur defence scenario. Losing with a century is harder to dismiss than winning with one.
IPL 2025: RCB’s First-Ever Season Double Over RR (9 Wkts + 11 Runs)
IPL 2025 was the first season RCB beat RR in both their fixtures.
Match 28: Jaipur, April 13, 2025 — RCB Won by 9 Wickets
RCB won by 9 wickets with 15 balls remaining.
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal chased 174 at Jaipur, in an evening game without losing more than 1 wicket. The 9-wicket margin is the second-largest in this rivalry.
RCB’s bowling restricted RR to 173/4. A below-par Jaipur total. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s opening combination produced 3 wickets for 38 runs in the first 8 overs, removing Yashasvi Jaiswal early and disrupting RR’s powerplay scoring. 173 was never enough on a flat SMS pitch.
Match 42: Chinnaswamy, April 24, 2025. RCB Won by 11 Runs
RCB’s 205/5 is their highest-ever score against RR.
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Kohli (70 off 42) and Padikkal (50 off 27) put on a 95-run partnership for the second wicket the highest partnership in this fixture in 2025.
Hazlewood’s 19th Over: The Match Anatomy
RR needed 18 off 12 balls (19th over). Wickets in hand. Momentum. Match alive.
| Hazlewood’s 19th Over | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Ball 1 | Wicket |
| Ball 2-5 | 1 run conceded total |
| Ball 6 | Wicket |
| Over result | 2 wickets, 1 run — RR went from 18 needed off 12 to 17 needed off 6 |
RCB won by 11 runs. Hazlewood’s 4/33 in the match included that penultimate-over double-wicket maiden in effect.
Josh Hazlewood’s performance in IPL 2025 against RR is the best single-season bowling contribution in this fixture’s history. Two matches, 5 wickets total, 0 matches lost due to bowling. Hazlewood dismissed RR’s key batters (Archer for runs in the first match, the middle-order in the second) in both fixtures. In a rivalry historically dominated by batting performances Kohli centuries, Buttler hundreds, Samson fifties Hazlewood’s bowling double was structurally the most decisive individual season in the H2H.
IPL 2026 Match 16: Guwahati, April 10. RR 202/4, RCB 201/8. RR Won by 6 Wkts
April 10, 2026. Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
RCB’s Innings: The Mid-Innings Collapse
RCB reached 125/2 in 13 overs on course for 190+. Then wickets fell. RCB finished on 201/8 in 20 overs losing 6 wickets for 76 runs in the final 7 overs.
Captain Rajat Patidar scored 63 off 40 a composed, match-anchoring knock that prevented a below-par total. Patidar’s 63 came specifically after RCB slipped to 76/5 he absorbed the collapse and rebuilt. Without him, RCB post 160-170. With him, they reached 201.
Dhruv Jurel 81 off 43: The Chase Anatomy
RR won by 6 wickets.
Jurel’s 81 off 43 is the highest individual score in a winning chase between these two teams since Buttler’s 100 in IPL 2024. Jurel primarily known as a wicketkeeper-batter played the highest-pressure innings in this fixture’s 2026 edition with a combination of orthodox batting and aggressive pulling.
Turning point RR’s powerplay: 97 runs from 1 wicket in 6 overs set the chase’s psychological tone immediately. When a T20 team scores 97 in the powerplay, the remaining 105 off 84 balls (at 7.5 per over) becomes a formality rather than a challenge. RR’s powerplay destroyed RCB’s bowling confidence before Jurel even started batting.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s impact-player cameo: The young Rajasthan batter came in as the impact sub added quick runs at the death, confirming RR’s chase comfort.
This is RR’s only win against RCB at Guwahati: A venue RR use as a secondary home. Their Barsapara record in this specific fixture is now 1-0.
Complete RCB vs RR Results Table: Key Season Summary (2008–2026)
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Overall H2H after IPL 2026 Match 16: RCB leads 17-15 (3 NR) in 35 matches.
5 Defining Performances in the RCB vs RR Rivalry
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the head-to-head record between RCB and RR in the IPL?
Ans. As of IPL 2026 (after 35 matches): RCB leads 17-15, with 3 no-results. They first met in April 2008 (RR won). At Chinnaswamy, the record is 4-4 (3 NR). At Sawai Mansingh, Jaipur, the record is 5-5. At Guwahati (Barsapara), RR leads 1-0.
Q2: What was the result of RR vs RCB IPL 2026 Match 16?
Ans. RR beat RCB by 6 wickets in Match 16 of IPL 2026 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on April 10, 2026. RCB scored 201/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 63 off 40 after RCB slipped to 76/5). RR chased 202 in 18 overs — scoring 97 runs in the powerplay for 1 wicket — with Dhruv Jurel scoring 81 off 43 and Ravindra Jadeja 24*. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came in as an impact player.
Q3: What happened in RCB vs RR IPL 2025 Match 42?
Ans. RCB beat RR by 11 runs in Match 42 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 24, 2025. RCB scored 205/5 (Kohli 70 off 42, Padikkal 50 off 27, 95-run partnership). RR needed 18 off 12 in the 19th over — Josh Hazlewood took 2 wickets and conceded 1 run, finishing with 4/33 overall. RR were bowled out for 194/9.
Q4: What is the highest score in the RCB vs RR fixture?
Ans. Rajasthan Royals hold the highest score in the RCB vs RR fixture: 217/4 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru in IPL 2018 — which they defended, winning by 19 runs. RCB’s highest score against RR is 205/5 also at Chinnaswamy, in IPL 2025 Match 42, which they used to win by 11 runs.
Q5: Did Kohli score a century against RR in IPL 2024?
Ans. Yes. Virat Kohli scored 113 off 63 balls for RCB against RR at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, in IPL 2024 Match 19 (April 6, 2024) — RCB’s highest individual score in the RCB vs RR rivalry. However, RCB lost: RR’s Jos Buttler (100) and Sanju Samson (69) chased 184 with 5 balls remaining, winning by 6 wickets.