5 times RCB lost a match from a winning position
The perennial underachievers of the IPL, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lost yet another close match on Monday (April 10) as the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mounted a late fightback to clinch a thrilling last-ball victory. It was a heartbreaking loss for RCB as they lost from a dominant position.
Batting first at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, half-centuries from Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell powered RCB to a strong total of 212/2 in their 20 overs. In reply, LSG were off to a disastrous start and were reduced to 23/3 after four overs. What followed was sheer carnage from Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran as the duo guided LSG home with two thunderous half-centuries.
It was a familiar script for RCB fans as their team failed to win a game in which they had an overwhelming advantage. The RCB bowling lineup, which has shown great improvement in the last three seasons, failed to deliver for the second consecutive game to give horrible flashbacks of the pre-2020 IPL era.
On that note, let’s take a look at five instances where RCB lost a match from a winning position.
#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Deccan Chargers, IPL Final, 2009
Chasing a target of just 144, thanks to a brilliant 4-fer earlier by captain Anil Kumble, RCB were on course to win their first IPL title. At 99/4 in 14.1 overs, RCB were still favorites, with Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor at the crease and the likes of Mark Boucher and Robin Uthappa yet to bat. However, the middle-order, which had produced the goods throughout the season, failed to close out the game as RCB went on to lose the final by six runs.
#2 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL Final, 2016
Chasing 209 in the final, RCB were cruising at 140/2 in 12.5 overs through half-centuries from Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. With the likes of Shane Watson, AB de Villiers and KL Rahul all in form and with the pitch at Chinnaswamy being a belter for batting, the stage was set for a fairytale end to an incredible year for RCB and skipper Kohli. However, none of the batters beyond the openers could make a noteworthy score as RCB fell short by eight runs for yet another heart-breaking loss.
#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2012
With CSK needing 43 runs off the last two overs, it seemed that the result of the match was a mere formality. With Virat Kohli bowling the penultimate over, RCB were set to get one over their southern rivals. However, Albie Morkel launched into the youngster, smashing 28 runs off the 19th over.
He rode his luck on a few occasions as a couple of edges went to the boundary. However, with 15 runs still needed from the last over, it still needed some hitting from the CSK batters against the experienced Vinay Kumar. The match seemed to be done when Morkel was dismissed in the second ball of the last over.
With 14 needed off just four balls, RCB seemed to have the upper hand until Dwayne Bravo hit a four off a no-ball and a six to change the course of the match. A dot ball and a single followed. With two runs needed off the last ball, Ravindra Jadeja edged one to the fence and took his side home, giving the RCB fans yet another heartbreak.
#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2018
Chasing 206, CSK were reduced to 74/4 in nine overs. Even with players such as Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni in the middle, it seemed almost impossible for CSK to win the game. Yet, a lackluster effort from the bowlers, apart from Umesh Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, meant that Rayudu (82 off 53 balls) and Dhoni (70* off 34 balls) tore into the hapless RCB attack and delivered the unprecedented. It was a masterclass of finishing by Dhoni as he identified the need to play out Chahal, targeted areas of the ground and bowlers to attack, and perfectly guided Rayudu to take CSK to an almost impossible win.
#5 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2019
With KKR needing 53 runs in three overs, it seemed improbable for even a player of Andre Russell's caliber to take KKR across the finish line. However, what followed was an unprecedented assault from the Jamaican (48* runs off 13 balls) as took the RCB bowlers to the cleaners. Such was the extent of the destruction that KKR chased down the score with five balls to spare.
With that, we conclude our piece on five instances when RCB lost a match from a winning position. Can you think of any other such matches? Let us know in the comments section below.