Royal Challengers Bengaluru is all set to face Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator on Wednesday. From here on, it is now-or-never for both teams. There’s no turning back, no second chance. RCB has been in this kind of situation before.
How many times has RCB qualified for the playoffs?
RCB have now managed to breach the top four and qualify for the playoffs on nine occasions, also managing to make it to the final on three of those occasions. Unfortunately, they have lost in the final every time and are yet to get their hands on the prestigious trophy.
Check how many times RCB made it to the playoffs post IPL 2011.
| RCB’S PLAYOFFS SCENARIOS SO FAR IN THE IPL (POST 2011) | |||||
| SEASON | DATE | MATCH | RESULT | VENUE | PLACE |
| 2011 | May 28, 2011 | CSK vs RCB | CSK won by 58 runs | Chennai | Runners-Up |
| 2015 | May 22, 2015 | CSK vs RCB | CSK won by 3 wickets | Ranchi | Third Place |
| 2016 | May 29, 2016 | RCB vs SRH | SRH won by 8 runs | Bengaluru | Runners-Up |
| 2020 | Nov 06, 2020 | RCB vs SRH | SRH won by 6 wickets | Abu Dhabi | Fourth Place |
| 2021 | Oct 11, 2021 | RCB vs KKR | KKR won by 4 wickets | Sharjah | Third Place |
| 2022 | May 27, 2022 | RCB vs RR | RR won by 7 wickets | Ahmedabad | Fourth Place |
Let’s break this down a little further. Playing an eliminator is always tricky. The below table displays and see as to how many eliminator matches has RCB played in the IP, and the results.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have so far played in five IPL eliminator games. This season’s IPL eliminator would be their sixth appearance in overall IPL eliminators. Here is a breakdown of RCB’s each IPL eliminator appearance.
| RCB IN IPL ELIMINATORS OVERALL | ||||
| SEASON | DATE | MATCH | RESULT | VENUE |
| 2010 | Apr 21, 2010 | MI vs RCB | MI won by 35 runs | Navi Mumbai |
| 2015 | May 20, 2015 | RR vs RCB | RCB won by 71 runs | Pune |
| 2016 | May 14, 2016 | RCB vs GL | RCB won by 144 runs | Bengaluru |
| 2020 | Nov 06, 2020 | RCB vs SRH | SRH won by 6 wickets | Abu Dhabi |
| 2022 | May 25, 2022 | LSG vs RCB | RCB won by 14 runs | Kolkata |
IPL 2024: A comeback to remember for RCB
In the first half of the IPL, RCB were languishing at the bottom of the table while RR were sky-high at the top, but Faf du Plessis and Co. produced one of the best comebacks in tournament history to finish fourth after the league stage.
They won six matches on a trot and outclassed CSK in their final league stage match to pip them for the fourth spot in the playoffs.
After losing seven of the first eight matches, RCB somehow managed to bounce back and win match after match to make a case for themselves for the playoff spot when many had written them off. With six wins a trot in the second half and a total of 14 points.
Record before the Playoffs Rule
The IPL Playoffs system was introduced in 2011. Before 2011 RCB managed to get into the top 4 twice. The men in red first made their entry in the top 4 in IPL 2009 where they were the Runners-Up of the tournament. RCB played the finals against Deccan Chargers Hyderabad (DCH). DCH went on winning the game and lifting the IPL trophy beating RCB by 6 runs.
In IPL 2010, RCB again battled it out against DCH. This time for the 3rd place qualifier game. RCB came out victorious with a massive margin of 9 wickets and clinched the 3rd spot in IPL 2010.
Here’s a list of how many times RCB made it to the top 4 before IPL 2011.
| RCB’S TOP 4 QUALIFICATION SCENARIO IN THE IPL (TILL 2010) | |||||
| SEASON | DATE | MATCH | RESULT | VENUE | PLACE |
| 2009 | May 24, 2009 | RCB VS DCH | DCH won by 6 runs | Johannesburg | Runners-Up |
| 2010 | April 08, 2010 | RCB VS DCH | RCB won by 9 wickets | Navi Mumbai | 3rd Place |
RCB will now again face RR in the IPL 2024 Eliminator. With more than 5 wins in a row, the momentum should be in RCB’s favour. However, the Red Army’s performance takes a nosedive, once they enter knockouts.
Will 2024 be a different story for Virat Kohli and company?
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye.
