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 28 times since 2013 (SRH 15 wins, RCB 12 wins, 1 no-result), 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 both 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.
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SRH vs RCB Head-to-Head: The Numbers in 2026
SRH vs RCB remains one of the IPL’s most evenly matched rivalries — and the 2026 season has kept it that way. The two sides have now met 28 times since 2013: Sunrisers Hyderabad have won 15, Royal Challengers Bengaluru 12, with one no-result. The 2026 meetings split the honours again, with RCB winning by six wickets and SRH responding with a 55-run victory, and the season had opened with these two facing off at the Chinnaswamy on March 28.
The individual records underline how much star power this fixture has carried. Virat Kohli has scored 805 runs against SRH in 24 innings (average 36.59, strike rate 141.97), with one century — his 100 off 63 balls in Hyderabad in 2023 — and five fifties, making him the rivalry’s all-time leading run-scorer. David Warner, who led SRH to the 2016 title, sits second with 647 runs. With the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 18 wickets lead the way for the rivalry, while the best single bowling figures belong to Wanindu Hasaranga, whose 5/18 destroyed RCB in 2022, and the highest individual score is Jonny Bairstow’s 114 for SRH in 2019.
The 2016 Final: Eight Runs That Defined a Rivalry
Every SRH vs RCB discussion starts at the Chinnaswamy on 29 May 2016. Sunrisers, led by David Warner, posted 208/7 — and then held their nerve as RCB, powered by the greatest individual season in IPL history (Virat Kohli’s 973 runs with four centuries), fell eight runs short at 200/7. Ben Cutting was the unlikely hero: 39 not out off 15 balls and then 2/35 with the ball to close out the game.
It remains SRH’s only IPL title, and RCB’s most painful near-miss — one of three final defeats (2009, 2011, 2016) they carried for nearly a decade. For SRH, it validated a franchise built on smart bowling and Warner’s leadership rather than star power. For RCB, it became the wound that every subsequent season was measured against, right up until 2025 finally healed it.
The 287 Game and the 2025 Title That Changed Everything
April 2024 at the Chinnaswamy produced the most statistically absurd game these sides have ever played. SRH smashed 287/3 — Travis Head’s 102 off 41 balls and Heinrich Klaasen’s 67 off 31 powering the highest team total in IPL history at the time — and RCB, incredibly, replied with 262/7 in a 25-run defeat that felt like a win for the neutral. Later that month in Hyderabad, RCB took the return leg by 35 runs, with Rajat Patidar’s 50 off 20 balls leading the way — an early sign of the turnaround that would define the franchise’s next 14 months.
Because in 2025, RCB finally did it. After 18 years of waiting, they beat Punjab Kings by six runs in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on 3 June 2025, defending 190/9 with Kohli’s gritty 43 anchoring the innings. Kohli finished the season with 657 runs at 54.75 under captain Rajat Patidar, and a franchise defined by glorious failure became champions. The rivalry didn’t decide that title — the two sides’ only 2025 meeting saw SRH win by 42 runs in Lucknow, with Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 94 off 48 — but the 2016 final loss to SRH is still the first thing mentioned in every retelling of RCB’s long road to glory. Catch every ball of the next chapter with cricket live scores and the full IPL schedule.
Final Thoughts on SRH vs RCB
Twenty-eight meetings, fifteen wins to twelve, and a rivalry defined by its extremes — an eight-run final, a 68 all-out, a 287-run shootout, and RCB’s 18-year wait for a title finally ending in 2025. SRH vs RCB has never been just another IPL fixture; it is the league’s most reliably dramatic one. With both sides reloading for 2027, the next chapter is already one to circle on the calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the SRH vs RCB meetings in IPL 2026?
The two sides split their 2026 meetings: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by six wickets and Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 55 runs. The season itself opened with RCB vs SRH at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28, 2026.
What was the score in the 2016 IPL final between SRH and RCB?
Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 208/7 and beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (200/7) by 8 runs at Bengaluru. Ben Cutting (39* off 15 and 2/35) was the player of the match. It remains SRH’s only IPL title.
What happened in the 2020 Eliminator between SRH and RCB?
SRH won by six wickets in Abu Dhabi, knocking RCB out of the tournament. Kane Williamson’s unbeaten 50 off 44 balls guided the chase — one of two knockout wins SRH hold over RCB, along with the 2016 final.
Who won the IPL in 2025?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden IPL title, beating Punjab Kings by six runs in the final on 3 June 2025 at Ahmedabad. RCB defended 190/9, with Virat Kohli scoring 43 and finishing the season with 657 runs at 54.75 under captain Rajat Patidar.
What are the best bowling figures in SRH vs RCB matches?
Wanindu Hasaranga’s 5/18 for RCB in 2022. Across the rivalry, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker with 18 wickets, while Marco Jansen’s 3/25 set up SRH’s nine-wicket demolition of RCB (68 all out) in 2022.