RCB vs PBKS Head to Head in IPL: The struggle between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings is one of the more interesting rivalries in cricket, where both sides have been so infuriating in their pursuit of their first glory. You have RCB to start, the IPL champions at present, and how many years do you suppose RCB has waited and been hard done by for their first IPL title? Years and years of waiting – 18 years counting last! And then there are PBKS, who nearly clinched their first IPL Championship in 2025.
Whenever Royal Challengers Bangalore, despite their stardust players, gets mired with the rowdy Punjab Kings, they seem to always be uber close. There is never a comparable match here where one side is overwhelmingly better; it’s like two equally matched friends who are equally trying to outsmart one another. Punjab, even when being a little quiet, is also quite cheeky and cunning. Perhaps that is why their games always appear to be so close with incredible comebacks, and they never are strangely one-sided and nearly always come down to the very end wire, causing everyone, from fans to analysts, to hold their breath as if they are merely observing a real stark duel of pride. They have presented us with thrilling, exciting, high-scoring thrillers and some wonderful, riveting, and nail-biting matches.
RCB vs PBKS Head-to-Head Record
RCB vs Punjab Kings rivalry matches never go one way; instead, they are akin to a beautiful tug-of-war match. Out of their 37 thrilling encounters, RCB have emerged victorious 19 times and not much more, with Punjab being very close, with 18 wins.
| Total Matches | 37 |
|---|---|
| RCB Won | 19 |
| PBKS Won | 18 |
| RCB Lost | 18 |
| PBKS Lost | 19 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
RCB vs PBKS Head-to-Head Record at Home Ground
1) RCB Record at Home Ground Against PBKS
Even in their own colorful M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have to fight hard against the Punjab Kings in close contests. In 13 entertaining games on RCB home turf, they have won 7 times. Punjab Kings beat them during RCB’s celebrations 6 times.
| Total Matches | 13 |
|---|---|
| RCB Won | 7 |
| PBKS Won | 6 |
| RCB Lost | 7 |
| PBKS Lost | 6 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
2) PBKS Record at Home Ground Against RCB
Even though they play at home, for the Punjab Kings, it really is a fight against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Punjab played 11 games at their home stadium, and surprisingly, they have won 4 of the games themselves. RCB have won 7 games in those matches at Punjab‘s home stadium.
| Total Matches | 11 |
|---|---|
| PBKS Won | 4 |
| RCB Won | 7 |
| PBKS Lost | 7 |
| RCB Lost | 4 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
RCB vs PBKS Head-to-Head Record at Away Ground
1) RCB Record at Away Ground Against PBKS
Royal Challengers Bangalore are a tough match for Punjab when they visit their home ground. In the 11 meetings at Punjab’s home stadium, RCB have managed to win an impressive 7 games, with Punjab winning just 4.
| Total Matches | 11 |
|---|---|
| RCB Won | 7 |
| PBKS Won | 4 |
| RCB Lost | 4 |
| PBKS Lost | 7 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
2) PBKS Record at Away Ground Against RCB
The Punjab Kings are in for a fight when they travel and face Bengaluru in the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which is the home of the Royal Challengers (RCB). The Punjabis have made 13 visits to Chinnaswamy, and if anything is clear, it is that they’ve proved their mettle by being able to snatch 6 victories from the challengers.
| Total Matches | 13 |
|---|---|
| PBKS Won | 6 |
| RCB Won | 7 |
| PBKS Lost | 7 |
| RCB Lost | 6 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
Must Read: KKR Vs MI Head-to-Head in IPL | India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head Records
RCB vs PBKS Head-to-Head Record at Neutral Venues
Whenever Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore travel outside their grounds to compete in neutral grounds, it is always Punjab that appears to cope with the conditions best. Of the 13 matches that were contested as equals, Punjab was 8-5 up in the match fight.
| Total Matches | 13 |
|---|---|
| RCB Won | 5 |
| PBKS Won | 8 |
| RCB Lost | 8 |
| PBKS Lost | 5 |
| Draw | 0 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
RCB vs PBKS: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings Records & Stats
1) Highest Score in RCB vs PBKS Rivalry
That Dharamsala day, it was a fantastic exhibition of brute hitting power; Royal Challengers Bangalore hammered 241 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, which resembled more like a video game score than an actual score.
2) Highest Score by RCB Against PBKS
On this day at Dharamsala, Punjab Kings were presented with fireworks by Royal Challengers Bangalore. They registered a score of 241 runs for 7 wickets.
3) Highest Score by PBKS Against RCB
At the stunning Dharamsala stadium, the Punjab Kings showed fireworks in power hitting against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They scored 232 runs, losing only 2 wickets.
4) Lowest Score in RCB vs PBKS Rivalry
The Punjab Kings have experienced a couple of absolutely forgettable days against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. On 2 occasions, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and Indore, their batting line-up collapsed totally. They were bowled for an absolutely meager total of 88 runs.
5) Lowest Score by RCB Against PBKS
It was a day to remember for none from Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai, famous for its marvelous venues. In a tough game against the Punjab Kings, RCB scored a mere 109 runs, which was much too low a score to even consider competing against.
6) Lowest Score by PBKS Against RCB
The Punjab Kings saw a complete batting collapse against Royal Challengers Bangalore on two occasions, the team ending up with a very poor score of just 88 runs. It is a rare and unfortunate record that occurred first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and later again at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
Individual Records in RCB vs PBKS Rivalry
1) Most Runs & Highest Score in RCB vs PBKS Rivalry
India’s icon batsman, RCB’s Virat Kohli, has also contributed the most runs in this fixture with 1159 runs to his credit. India’s another superstar, PBKS’s KL Rahul, has contributed the most runs for PBKS against RCB with 451 runs. KL Rahul is also the highest individual scorer in this fixture for PBKS. Chris Gayle of Punjab is a Caribbean giant and has scored the highest individual score against RCB.
| Stats | RCB | PBKS |
| Most Runs | Virat Kohli (1159 runs) | KL Rahul (451 runs) |
| Highest scorer | Chris Gayle (117) | KL Rahul (132) |
2) Most Wickets & Best Bowling in RCB vs PBKS Rivalry
RCB’s Yuzvendra Chahal is India’s spin king and has the most wickets in this head-to-head, with 25 wickets. Another Indian fast bowler, Sandeep Sharma (PBKS), is the player who has taken the most wickets against RCB in this engagement. RCB’s Sreenath Aravind has the best bowling figures in this duel with PBKS, while Piyush Chawla (PBKS) has the best bowling figures for PBKS versus RCB.
| Stats | RCB | PBKS |
| Most wickets | Yuzvendra Chahal (25 wickets) | Sandeep Sharma (16 wickets) |
| Best Bowling | Sreenath Aravind (4/14) | Piyush Chawla (4/17) |
Must Read: CSK vs PBKS Head to Head in IPL | CSK vs KKR Head to Head in IPL
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings Timeline
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) battle has always been a rivalrous battle, yet no season has ever held me as spellbound as the 2025 IPL Final. The battle began with both teams displaying grit and possessed an interesting give-and-take atmosphere, with each team nearly always dividing the head-to-head record evenly. While RCB usually boasted a superstar-studded roster to give fanfare, PBKS equaled the theatrics of RCB through grit and tenacity.
The competition reached its peak, in heart-stopping fashion, for the championship title in Ahmedabad. Both sides played with eagerness, trying to win their maiden championship. RCB had long endured with a faithful clientele that had always been heartbroken and was seeking to break their jinx. PBKS desired to earn their place at the championship after years of performance that always seemed to fall short at the worst moment. The game had the epic feel of a blockbuster movie and ended up leaving children in the stands in tears. RCB’s bowlers maintained their cool through the last overs of play to win by 6 runs. It was a day that a team’s dreams and aspirations were realized by one team (RCB) and a heartbreak day for the other (PBKS). It was an emotional conclusion worthy of a rivalry built on a competitive spirit and respect.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings Standings
Royal Challengers Bengaluru started their inaugural season by finishing 7th on the points table. RCB has also finished in 1st position in the Points Table for IPL in 2011. RCB also has the two wooden spoons for IPL for 2017 and 2019. Punjab Kings experienced their first wooden spoon in IPL 2010 and then experienced their second in the very next year in IPL 2011, and then the third one in IPL 2016. Punjab Kings were at the top of the points table again in IPL 2014, and then after 10 years again topped the points table in IPL 2024.
| RCB Position in the Table | IPL Season | PBKS Position in the Table |
| 7th | 2008 | 2nd |
| 3rd | 2009 | 5th |
| 4th | 2010 | 8th |
| 1st | 2011 | 5th |
| 5th | 2012 | 6th |
| 5th | 2013 | 6th |
| 7th | 2014 | 1st |
| 3rd | 2015 | 8th |
| 2nd | 2016 | 8th |
| 8th | 2017 | 5th |
| 6th | 2018 | 7th |
| 8th | 2019 | 6th |
| 4th | 2020 | 6th |
| 3th | 2021 | 6th |
| 4th | 2022 | 6th |
| 6th | 2023 | 8th |
| 4th | 2024 | 9th |
| 2nd | 2025 | 1st |
