Lowest Score in IPL History
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has traditionally been all about high scores and batsmen setting the stage on fire with fours and sixes all over the ground. Over the 14 years of its existence, fans have generally thronged stadiums to watch their favourite stars in the IPL rip apart bowling attacks. However, there have been a few times in the IPL where the script has terribly gone wrong for teams, and they have ended up falling to new lows as it did for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 31 of IPL 2021.
The lowest score in IPL history is 49 by RCB against KKR in 2018. This is one of the most-talked about matches in the IPL. RCB had restricted KKR to 131 in the first innings. However, KKR fought back in some style to dismiss the star-studded RCB batting lineup for a mere 49 runs in 9.4 overs. This to date remains the lowest score in IPL history.
Here is a list of the five lowest team scores in IPL history.
1) RCB: 49 allout vs KKR – 2018
Royal Challengers Bangalore fans, it is better if you kindly look away while reading this. Match 27 in IPL 2017 was expected to be a cakewalk for Royal Challengers Bangalore, especially after Kolkata Knight Riders were dismissed for a mere 131 in 19.3. With a star-studded batting lineup that included the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli, surely the target was going to be an easy one. But the Gautam Gambhir-led Kolkata Knight Riders had other ideas. They came out all guns firing. Nathan Coulter-Nile picked three wickets in his first three overs, Chris Woakes ripped out the middle order. At the same time, Colin de Grandhomme provided the finishing touches as RCB were all out for a mere 49 in a mere 9.4 overs with none of the batsmen even managing to reach double-digit scores. The entire second innings lasted for all of 59 minutes leaving RCB red-faced. This to date remains the RCB lowest score in IPL history.
2) RR: 58 allout vs RCB – 2009
It was a steep downfall for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2009 after the highs they achieved in 2008. In just the second match of the season, Rajasthan bowlers did well to restrict Royal Challengers Bangalore to 133/8 in the first innings. However, things took an ugly turn in the second half, with the RR batsmen just failing to turn up. Anil Kumble was the star of the show returning impeccable figures of 5/5 in 3.1 overs to completely derail Rajasthan’s chase. His wickets included Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Warne, Munaf Patel, and Kamran Khan. Kumble’s 5/5 still feature in the top five best bowling figures bowling IPL. Rajasthan’s innings lasted only 15.1 overs as they crumbled to 58 allout and is the second lowest IPL score.
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3) DC: 66 allout vs MI – 2017
Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) had a real torrid time in IPL 2017. In Match 36, they were bundled out for 67 by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), and a mere six days later, they were knocked over for 66 by Mumbai Indians. Batting first, Mumbai, courtesy whirlwind half-centuries from Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard, raced to 212/3 in their 20 overs. And the way Delhi crumbled was shocking. None of their batsmen put up a fight, and Delhi eventually collapsed to 66 allout in 13.4, the third lowest score in IPL history. Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma were the wreckers-in-chief with wickets galore. Mumbai handed the Delhi based franchise a whopping 146-run defeat which remains one of the biggest margins of defeat in IPL history.
4) DC: 67 allout vs PBKS – 2017
As mentioned earlier, IPL 2017 was a real tough one for Delhi Capitals. In Match 36 that season, a shoddy batting performance meant they were bundled out for 67 against a fiery PBKS. Sandeep Sharma was in his elements on the day picking up 4 for 20 to dismantle Delhi. Axar Patel and Varun Aaron also chipped in with two wickets. Punjab then chased down the meagre 68-run target in 7.5 overs to win by 10 wickets. This remains the fourth lowest score in IPL to date.
5) KKR: 67 allout vs MI – 2008
In the inaugural season of the IPL, after starting strong, Kolkata Knight Riders started to lose steam midway. In Match 38, against Mumbai Indians, the Sourav Ganguly-led side never got going and lost wickets at regular intervals. Shaun Pollock was the star of the show returning four wickets while Harbhajan Singh and Dwayne Bravo picked two wickets. Kolkata could only reach 67 in 15.2 overs. This remains the fifth lowest score in IPL history. The chase was easy for Mumbai, with Sanath Jayasuriya slamming 48* off 17 balls as the hosts got past Kolkata by 8 wickets.
Conclusion
Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a few more shockers over the years in the IPL. They have been bundled out for 70 twice, by Chennai Super Kings in 2019 and Rajasthan Royals at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2014. However, they have started off well in IPL 2021 and will be hoping for a better run in the second half of the IPL in the UAE. As far as the lowest score is concerned, do you think RCB’s record of the lowest score in IPL will ever be broken?
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