Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad have shared 27 IPL meetings since the very first season SRH entered the league in 2013. The Orange Army hold the edge at 14 wins to 12 — but that two-win margin is misleading. Since 2020, these sides have split 13 games 7-6. With both clubs through to the IPL 2026 playoffs and a final league meeting at Hyderabad on May 22, this is the closest the head-to-head has ever looked.
Quick Answer — RCB vs SRH Head to Head
27 IPL matches: RCB 12 wins, SRH 14 wins, 1 no-result. Highest total: 287/3 by SRH (April 15, 2024, Chinnaswamy). Lowest: RCB 68 all out (April 23, 2022, Brabourne). Last result: RCB won by 6 wickets (March 28, 2026, Chinnaswamy). Last 5 meetings: RCB 3, SRH 2.
RCB
12
WinsVS
Total 27
SRH
14
WinsRCB vs SRH At a Glance
- Total matches: 27
- RCB: 12 wins · SRH: 14 wins · NR: 1
- Highest total: 287/3 (SRH, April 2024, Chinnaswamy)
- Lowest total: 68 all out (RCB, April 2022, Brabourne)
- Finals played: 1 — 2016 IPL final (SRH won the title)
- Last meeting: 28 March 2026 — RCB beat SRH by 6 wickets
- Top run-scorer: Virat Kohli (805+ runs, RCB)
- Top wicket-taker: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (18 wickets)
📊 The Number That Explains This Rivalry
SRH’s 14-12 lead comes almost entirely from the era before 2020. Between 2013 and 2019 — across 14 encounters — the record stood 7-6 to Hyderabad, built on David Warner’s consistent run-scoring and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ability to clock early wickets in the powerplay. Since the IPL resumed after Covid, these two sides have played 13 times: SRH 7, RCB 6. In every season from 2022 to 2025, the annual series finished 1-1. RCB then took the 2026 season opener by 6 wickets. The historical lead is real — it just isn’t being added to.
RCB’s recent consistency has been driven by a stronger core group and better squad balance. Check the updated RCB Squad 2026 players list, stats and records for the latest Bengaluru team analysis.
RCB vs SRH — Season by Season
| Season | Played | RCB W | SRH W | NR | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–2019 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | SRH dominated; won 2016 IPL title at RCB’s Chinnaswamy |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Both wins for SRH in UAE; RCB couldn’t protect chase targets |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB won by 6 runs (Apr 14); SRH won by 4 runs (Oct 6) |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB’s 68 all out; RCB won the return by 67 runs two weeks later |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Series split — RCB’s revival under new ownership begins |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | SRH’s 287/3 record total (Apr 15); RCB won return leg by 35 runs |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | RCB won first meeting; Kishan’s 94* sealed SRH’s Lucknow win |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Kohli 69*, Padikkal 61; RCB won season opener by 6 wkts |
| Total | 27 | 12 | 14 | 1 |
Biggest Wins on Each Side
🏆 RCB’s Biggest Win in This Fixture
RCB 192/3 beat SRH 125 all out by 67 runs on May 8, 2022, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The result was a direct answer to SRH bowling RCB out for 68 just fifteen days earlier at Brabourne — the same city, a completely different RCB. The 67-run margin is the widest winning margin Bengaluru have recorded in 27 meetings with Hyderabad, and the swing of two fixtures inside a single IPL season remains one of the more dramatic form reversals this rivalry has produced.
🏆 SRH’s Biggest Win in This Fixture
SRH 72/1 beat RCB 68 all out by 9 wickets on April 23, 2022, at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai. Marco Jansen took three wickets in the second over — dismissing Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli (golden duck), and Anuj Rawat in the same over. RCB were bowled out in 16.1 overs for their lowest-ever total in this fixture. SRH knocked off 69 in just 8 overs. The 9-wicket result stands as the most one-sided outcome in 27 meetings between these sides.For complete franchise records, squad updates, top performers, and IPL history, check our Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL Stats guide.
Top Performers in This Rivalry
Virat Kohli’s tally of 805+ runs against SRH — the highest by any player in this fixture — stretches back to the first ever meeting in 2013, and he added 69 not out in the March 2026 opener. That number is still climbing. Bhuvneshwar Kumar holds the most wickets in this rivalry with 18, but the majority came while bowling for SRH against RCB. He now wears red at Bengaluru, meaning future scalps in this fixture count for the other side of the ledger. David Warner’s 641 runs were all scored in SRH colours before he left the franchise; no current SRH batter is close to threatening that mark for several seasons yet.
RCB Right Now
- Position: 1st — Playoffs confirmed
- Captain: Rajat Patidar
- Status: Defending IPL 2025 champions
- Key strength: Kohli-Padikkal openers; Jacob Duffy with the new ball
- Weak link: Spin bowling depth on flat tracks
SRH Right Now
- Position: Playoffs confirmed
- Captain: Ishan Kishan
- Status: Qualified after beating CSK on May 18
- Key strength: Kishan’s explosive opening; Cummins at the death
- Weak link: Middle-order consistency; top-order reliance in chases
The 14-12 scoreline still gets SRH described as the team with the edge in this fixture. I think that framing is outdated. SRH’s lead was built in a Warner-Bhuvi era that is finished — Warner has retired, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is now bowling at SRH batters in a red jersey, and the tactical blueprint that gave Hyderabad a consistent powerplay advantage no longer exists in the same form. Four consecutive 1-1 splits from 2022 to 2025 aren’t coincidence. This is a balanced fixture between two sides with genuinely different strengths.
For the May 22 meeting at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, I’d give a slight edge to SRH. Home conditions at Hyderabad reward pace-and-bounce in the first ten overs, and Ishan Kishan’s ability to get 40 off the first five gives SRH a tempo others struggle to match. RCB’s reply will live or die by Kohli in the powerplay — if he’s at the crease at over 8, they chase anything under 195. My lean is SRH by 15-20 runs, but calling a comfortable SRH win as the base case doesn’t hold the way it once did.
RCB vs SRH — FAQs
Who has won more matches between RCB and SRH?
SRH have won 14 to RCB’s 12 across 27 IPL meetings, with one match ending without a result. Since 2020, though, the record reads 7-6 in SRH’s favour — effectively level in the modern era of this fixture.
When did RCB and SRH meet in an IPL final?
The only IPL final between these two was in 2016, played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. SRH beat RCB to claim their only IPL title to date. It remains the most consequential result in this rivalry’s 13-year history, and one RCB partially answered by winning the 2025 IPL title.
What is the highest team total in RCB vs SRH matches?
SRH’s 287/3 on April 15, 2024, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is the highest total in this fixture — and was the all-time IPL record at the time. Travis Head struck 102 off 41 balls. Remarkably, RCB’s reply of 262/7 in defeat is the highest losing score this head-to-head has ever produced.
Who is the leading run-scorer in RCB vs SRH matches?
Virat Kohli leads all run-scorers with 805+ runs for RCB against SRH across IPL history. David Warner (641 runs for SRH) is second, followed by AB de Villiers (540 runs for RCB, retired). Kohli’s tally is still growing with each meeting.
Who is performing better in IPL 2026?
RCB are top of the IPL 2026 table and defending champions, having won IPL 2025. SRH have also confirmed their playoff place after beating CSK on May 18. Both sides arrive at their May 22 league meeting with strong campaigns behind them — the result shapes final playoff seedings.
Bottom Line
SRH’s 14-12 lead in this rivalry is real, but it was largely assembled before 2020 and isn’t currently growing. The last five full seasons have produced five 1-1 splits, and RCB are now IPL 2025 champions. Check the IPL 2026 points table for how tomorrow’s result at Hyderabad shifts the playoff picture — because this fixture, for the first time in its 13-year history, carries genuine weight for both sides equally.
