SRH vs RCB: The Complete IPL Rivalry Guide
Few fixtures in the IPL produce as much consistent drama as Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The rivalry has run since SRH’s first season in 2013, and it’s given the league one of its most iconic finals, one of its most crushing knockout collapses, and the tournament’s all-time highest team total. Here’s the full history, backed by the actual numbers.
How it started: a Super Over in 2013
SRH and RCB have met roughly 25 times since 2013, and it’s genuinely one of the closer rivalries in the league — SRH hold a narrow historical edge, but it’s rarely been a lopsided contest. Fittingly, their very first meeting in April 2013 was decided by a Super Over, with SRH coming out on top at their home ground in Hyderabad.
The 2016 final: SRH’s only title, at RCB’s expense
The defining moment of this rivalry is the 2016 IPL final, where SRH beat RCB to win their maiden — and to date, only — IPL title. It remains one of the most-discussed finals in tournament history, not least because RCB’s campaign that year was built around a genuinely explosive run through the group stage and playoffs, which made the final defeat sting even more for their supporters.
The 2020 eliminator: knockout heartbreak for RCB
SRH’s edge in this rivalry has shown up disproportionately in knockout cricket. In the 2020 Eliminator, a composed fifty from Kane Williamson helped SRH see off RCB and end their campaign — another reminder that this fixture tends to matter more than a typical league game, regardless of the season.
2022: RCB bowled out for 68
Not every chapter has been close. In one of the most one-sided results in the fixture’s history, SRH bowled RCB out for just 68 and chased the target down inside eight overs — RCB’s lowest total against SRH in the rivalry’s history.
2024: the record-breaking 287
The 2024 meetings produced the rivalry’s most statistically extreme cricket. At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in April 2024, SRH posted 287/3 — an IPL record team total at the time — built around Travis Head’s 102 off 41 balls and a rapid 67 off 31 from Heinrich Klaasen. RCB responded with 262/7 in the chase but fell 25 runs short. The two sides met again later that month in Hyderabad, where RCB won the return leg by 35 runs — a result that came during a difficult stretch for RCB but ultimately proved to be part of the turnaround that carried them into their title-winning 2025 campaign.
RCB’s 2025 breakthrough
RCB finally won their first IPL title in 2025, ending an 18-year wait for the franchise. Their route to that title didn’t run through SRH in the knockouts, but the rivalry remains central to RCB’s history — the 2016 final loss to SRH is still one of the most-referenced near-misses in the story of their eventual triumph.
Key numbers
- Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in this fixture’s history, with well over 700 runs against SRH
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar is among the leading wicket-takers for SRH in the rivalry
- Highest team total: 287/3 (SRH, 2024)
- Lowest team total: 68 all out (RCB, 2022)
- SRH have won all three of their knockout-stage meetings against RCB: the 2016 final, and the 2020 eliminator
FAQs
Who has the better head-to-head record, SRH or RCB?
SRH hold a narrow historical edge across their meetings since 2013, though the gap has closed in recent seasons as RCB have won more of their recent encounters.
Has RCB ever beaten SRH in a knockout match?
No — SRH have won all of their knockout meetings against RCB to date, including the decisive 2016 final and the 2020 eliminator.
What is the highest team total in SRH vs RCB matches?
287/3, scored by SRH in April 2024 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, driven by Travis Head’s 102 off 41 balls.
Who has scored the most runs in this rivalry?
Virat Kohli leads all batters in runs scored across SRH vs RCB matches.
Stay with Pin Live Score for live scores, head-to-head stats, and match coverage across the IPL and other major cricket tournaments.