Revisiting RCB’s Three IPL Finals

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is among the most popular teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Bengaluru outfit has been in the league since its inception, but despite playing for so many years, they have never won the title. It is the reason that their fans crafted the famous line: “Ee Sala Cup Namde,” which means, “This year the IPL trophy is ours”! However, even this beautiful tagline has failed to change their fortunes.

Can the Red and Gold Brigade end a 16-year wait at the IPL 2024? During the new season, passionate RCB fans will have high hopes for their team and want to get exciting rewards on an IPL betting platform.

Revisiting RCB’s Three IPL Finals

RCB is a team that has had champion cricketers over the years. But the franchise, despite reaching the IPL final thrice, has struggled to lift the trophy once. RCB has played three finals in 16 seasons of IPL, and here’s a look at what happened in three finals involving one of the most followed IPL teams.

● IPL 2009:

In the 2009 final, RCB took on the Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg. Anil Kumble, the RCB skipper, won the toss and opted to bowl on a pitch showing all the signs of a seam-friendly track.

Adam Gilchrist was out on the first ball, but Herschelle Gibbs smashed 53. Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma, too, made vital contributions. The Chargers managed to post a total of 143/6.

In reply, RCB lost wickets on regular intervals, and despite 32 from Roelof van de Merwe and 27 from Ross Taylor, RCB fell short by six runs. The then-20-year-old Virat Kohli scored just seven runs.

 IPL 2011:

Two years later, RCB was again in the final. They met Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk this time.

Chennai had won the toss and opted to bat first on a belter of a pitch. The decision was spot on, as Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey scored 95 and 63 runs, respectively. Both shared an opening stand worth 159 runs.

Chasing a big target of 206, RCB got restricted to 147/8, losing the match without a fight. Saurabh Tiwary top-scored for the Bengaluru outfit with an unbeaten 42, while Virat Kohli hit a 32-ball 35.

IPL 2016:

In the 2016 season, RCB reached the final. They played some brilliant cricket throughout the tournament to get the summit clash. For the very first time, RCB had a realistic chance of winning, but Sunrisers Hyderabad outplayed them at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

SRH opted to bat first after winning the toss in the final. David Warner scored 69 and got good support from Shikhar Dhawan. Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singand Ben Cutting, too, chipped in with valuable contributions as the Sunrisers scored 208 in their allocated overs.

209 was hard to chase, but at Chinnaswamy, this was quite gettable. Openers Chris Gayle (76) and Virat Kohli (54) shared an opening stand worth 114 runs, but once the duo departed, RCB lost their way. They eventually fell short by eight runs. It was the third straight time RCB had failed in an IPL final.

Concluding Thoughts

Despite not winning an IPL trophy, RCB has always been considered among the best teams in tournament history. They have played brilliant cricket over the years in the IPL but couldn’t find a way to overcome the nerves in the final. In the coming edition, fans will be singing again, “Ee Sala Cup Namde.”