3 times RCB defended a low score in IPL
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) completed a morale-boosting win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023 season on Monday as they defended a target of just 127, winning by 18 runs.
There have been a number of occasions in the IPL where teams may not necessarily have posted par scores, but it has been their bowling that has shown inspiration on that particular day and helped them pull off a memorable win.
Such wins are arguably even more special for teams as they are more of an arm wrestle where it is all about grinding out in crunch moments and capitalizing on any error made by the opposition.
On that note, let's take a look at the three lowest scores defended by Royal Challengers Bangalore in a 20-over IPL game:
#3 RCB (133/8) beat RR (58) by 75 runs, Cape Town, April 18, 2009
Royal Challengers Bangalore finished in second-last position in the inaugural edition of the IPL. It was a massive disappointment for them, and they seemed determined to turn it around next season, which was held in South Africa.
RCB got just the start that they needed for the tournament, as they absolutely hammered the defending champions, the Rajasthan Royals, by 75 runs. A sensational 68 from Rahul Dravid and a handy cameo from Kevin Pietersen meant that Bangalore had 133/8 on the board.
While it seemed like the Royals could be in for an easy chase, it wasn't to be, as they were absolutely rattled for a score of just 58. Anil Kumble was the star performer for his side, with sensational figures of 5/5.
#2 RCB (126/8) beat CSK (112/8) by 14 runs, Chennai, May 21, 2008
The inaugural season wasn't going great for the Royal Challengers, but they still managed to defend a total as low as 126/8 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their own backyard. A fine 47 from Rahul Dravid, coupled with small but effective knocks from others, ensured RCB had a fighting total on the board.
Chennai began the chase well and after the openers added 60 runs for the first wicket, it seemed they would win comfortably. But that wasn't to be, as Anil Kumble once again spun a web and picked up figures of 3/14. The hosts went from being 84/2 to 109/8 in what was an unbelievable batting collapse.
The squeeze put on by the Royal Challengers seemed to work wonders as Chennai fell short of the target by 14 runs. Although Suresh Raina remained unbeaten at 21, it was just too much for him to do as he kept on losing partners at the other end.
#1 RCB (126/9) beat LSG (108) by 18 runs, Lucknow, May 1, 2023
Arguably RCB's best effort while defending a low total successfully was against LSG, and the way Virat Kohli was fired up showed how hungry they were for the win. LSG had already beaten Bangalore earlier in the season and that might have motivated the visitors to settle the score when they reached Lucknow.
The only decent contributions in the first innings came from Kohli (31) and skipper Faf du Plessis (44). Although the pitch seemed tough to bat on, it still looked like Bangalore were a bit short.
However, the visitors covered up for those extra runs by picking up wickets in the powerplay in the second innings. LSG were already dented by skipper KL Rahul's injury, and they seemed to wilt under pressure.
Bangalore kept on chipping away with wickets at regular intervals, and that proved to be the difference between the teams as Lucknow was bowled out for 108. Tempers flared even after the game was over, but the Royal Challengers had the last laugh as they took the two points.