The Day RCB Tasted Success and Defeat: A Story of Contrasts

(Royal Challengers Bangalore scored totals of 263 and 49 on the same day in different years)

If you are a cricket fan and looking for a dose of entertainment, emotion, and disappointment, then supporting the Royal Challengers Bangalore team will always be a thing that one should give a try. In the 17 seasons of the Indian Premier League, there have been numerous moments where the RCB fans have felt that this was their chance to win the title now, but somehow, they always end up losing the battle and this has been the story for the fans. Now, talking about one of the most memorable dates for an RCB fan is 23rd April as on this day, the team managed to reach at the top as well as the bottom. Well, the story is that on 23rd April 2013, RCB managed to score 263 runs which was the highest score by a team in IPL until Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the record against RCB in 2024 while on 23rd April 2017, RCB was bowled out for just 49 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders which is the lowest score by a team in the tournament.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors India on 23rd April 2013

Let’s head back to the 2013 season where Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to do well in the IPL season and had the top stars like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli and many more stars on their side. Coming to the 31st match of the 2013 IPL season, Royal Challengers Bangalore were up against the Pune Warriors India and this match was crucial for both teams to stay in the race for Playoffs. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, Pune Warriors India’s captain, Aaron Finch won the toss and got the nod to bowl first.

With the Royal Challengers Bangalore batting first, it was a complete Gayle’s storm at the stadium and all the fielders just became spectators at the ground. Along with Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle made a partnership of 167 runs in just 13.4 overs and he completed the century off just 30 balls which even included a 29 runs over of Aaron Finch. His innings was a proper showdown for the fans as he finished on 175 runs from 66 balls which included 17 sixes and 13 fours and helped the Royal Challengers Bangalore reach a total of 263 runs with the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs.

(Chris Gayle celebrates his century off just 30 balls with Tillakaratne Dilshan)

At the end of the innings, it was the cameo of AB de Villiers that gave the team a chance to cross the 250-run barrier as he made 31 runs from just 8 balls with a strike rate of 387.50. However, the limelight was with the Universe Boss ‘Chris Gayle as he managed to break several records with his batting and helped the Royal Challengers Bangalore register their name as the side having the highest team total in the IPL tournament. Coming to the Pune Warriors bowlers, Mitchell Marsh was smacked for 56 runs in his 3 overs while Ali Murtaza gave 45 runs from just 2 overs.

Coming to chase this target, it was never going to be easy for the Pune Warriors India and hence they succumbed under the pressure. In just 6 overs, the team lost their top 4 and the score was just 42 runs and the game was set for the Royal Challengers Bangalore to get the 2 points. In the batting lineup, only Steve Smith made some impact for the Pune Warriors India as he made 41 runs from 31 balls and took them to 133 runs with the loss of 9 wickets from the 20 overs that they played. Even among the bowlers, Chris Gayle picked 2 wickets from the 1 over he bowled and eventually earned the Man of the Match for his 175 runs knock and 2 wickets.

RCB vs Warriors, 31st match at Bengaluru, IPL, Apr 23 2013
Royal Challengers Bangalore	Pune Warriors India
263/5 (20 overs)	133/9 (20 overs)
Chris Gayle 175*(66)	Steve Smith 41(31)
Ashok Dinda 2/48 (4 overs)	Chris Gayle 2/5 (1 over)
Bangalore won by 130 runs

With a 130-run win, Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to keep themselves alive in the playoffs race. This match helped the RCB team to register themselves at the top of the record books and was one of the best days for an RCB fan. However, later in 2024, Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to break the record of most runs at the same ground against the Royal Challengers Bangalore as they managed to post a total of 287 runs with the loss of 3 wickets in their 20 overs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 23rd April 2017

With the record of most runs in a match by a team going to the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the 23rd of April was always one to remember for the team and the fans until they came up against Kolkata Knight Riders on the same date in the 2017 IPL season. In the 27th match of the season, Kolkata Knight Riders were scheduled to play the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and it was a battle of two aggressive captains, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir in front of the crowd.

With Virat Kohli getting the toss in their favour, they invited Kolkata to bat first at their home ground and it was a great start from the team as they smashed 48 runs from just 3 overs. However, the wicket of Gautam Gambhir changed the entire scenario for them as it followed a complete collapse. Yusuf Pathan, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa and others failed to convert their starts well and hence the team was able to reach only a total of 131 runs in the 19.3 overs as they were all-out. The 34 runs innings of Sunil Narine were enough to ensure that the team managed to reach a competitive total.

(Nathan Coulter-Nile celebrates after picking the wicket of Virat Kohli)

Among the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers, it was Yuzvendra Chahal who picked 3 wickets from just 4 overs while giving away just 16 runs. Along with him, Pawan Negi also got 2 wickets from the 3 overs that he bowled. Looking at this target and the run-chase history at the Eden Gardens, it wasn’t a tough task for the batters but they made a mockery of it. In just the first over, Virat Kohli was sent back to the pavilion for a golden duck and hence the pressure was on the Bangalore team.

Just after the wicket of Virat Kohli, the RCB team lost the wickets of Mandeep Singh and AB de Villiers which resulted in even further loss for the team and hence they were on the backfoot now. However, with Chris Gayle at the other end, the team thought that they would be coming back in the match but then the wickets of Kedar Jadhav and Chris Gayle completely destroyed their plans and the scoreline was now 5-40 in just 6.2 overs of the innings.

KKR vs RCB, 27th match at Kolkata, Apr 23 2017
Kolkata Knight Riders	Royal Challengers Bangalore
131/10 (19.3 overs)	49/10 (9.4 overs)
Sunil Narine 34(17)	Kedar Jadhav 9(7)
Yuzvendra Chahal 3/16 (4 overs)	Colin de Grandhomme 3/4 (1.4 overs)
Kolkata won by 82 runs

After the wicket of Chris Gayle, it was a complete collapse from the Bangalore team as they were bundled out for just 49 runs in the 9.4 overs and it was the lowest score registered by a team in the IPL. Nathan Coulter-Nile registered figures of 3/21 in the 3 overs and hence it was a shocking day for the RCB fans as in the target of 132 runs, they were defeated by a margin of 82 runs. For Bangalore fans, experiencing the highest and lowest totals on the same day was a rollercoaster of emotions. Should they revel in the record-breaking high or confront the disappointment of the 49-run low? It was a day that tested their allegiance and demanded a complex blend of celebration and defense.