RCB record in IPL playoffs: Royal Challengers Bengaluru's full IPL playoff history

RCB record in IPL playoffs: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s full IPL playoff history originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

• RCB have reached four IPL finals and finally won the title in 2025.

• They have appeared in the Eliminator five times, losing four of those games.

• In 2026, RCB qualified for the final after defeating GT in the Qualifier 1 match.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have given their fans some of the most thrilling nights in IPL history, and some of their most gutting mornings after.

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In IPL 2026, under Rajat Patidar’s captaincy and powered by yet another extraordinary season from Virat Kohli, RCB finished top of the standings, despite a heavy 55-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad late in the campaign.

After defeating Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in the Qualifier 1 match, they head into the IPL final with a chance to successfully defend their title. But before the 2026 story is written, here is everything that came before it. RCB have qualified for the IPL playoffs 11 times in 19 seasons.

Under Anil Kumble in a tournament held in South Africa, RCB made it all the way to the final against Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg. Kumble himself took four wickets to restrict the opposition to 143 for 6. But RCB’s batting could not get over the line, falling agonisingly short by just six runs.

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RCB reached the last four but were beaten heavily by Mumbai Indians, going down by 35 runs. They did claim third place by defeating Deccan Chargers, which secured their spot in the Champions League T20.

With Chris Gayle in the form of his life and Daniel Vettori leading the side, RCB recovered from a Qualifier 1 defeat to CSK by beating Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2. The final at Chepauk was a different story. Gayle fell for a duck, and CSK won comfortably by 58 runs chasing 205.

In Kohli’s first full season as captain, RCB hammered Rajasthan Royals by 71 runs in the Eliminator. But a tight, low-scoring Qualifier 2 against CSK ended in a three-wicket defeat, and the campaign was over.

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The season that defined Kohli’s IPL legacy and broke millions of hearts simultaneously. He piled up 973 runs across the tournament, a record that still stands, and dragged RCB to a home final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Kohli and Gayle launched the chase with a 114-run stand in barely 10 overs. Then the middle order buckled. SRH’s 208 was too much, and RCB fell eight runs short.

Held in the UAE, RCB scraped into the playoffs on net run rate. They faced SRH again in the Eliminator and lost a low-scoring contest by six wickets.

Finishing third in the league phase, RCB entered the Eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders with confidence. They managed just 138 for 7 and lost by four wickets in the final over, bringing Kohli’s captaincy chapter to a close without a title.

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Under Faf du Plessis, RCB finally broke their Eliminator losing streak. Patidar’s stunning unbeaten 112 off 54 balls helped them beat Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs. But in Qualifier 2, Rajasthan Royals dismantled them by seven wickets.

RCB lost seven of their first eight matches and looked finished. Then they won six in a row, including a famous win over CSK that effectively saved their season to sneak into fourth place. The Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals was one step too far, ending in a four-wicket defeat.

After 17 years of heartbreak, RCB did it. In Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur, they demolished Punjab Kings, bundling them out for just 101 in 14.1 overs. Suyash Sharma took 3 for 17, and Josh Hazlewood claimed 3 for 21 on his return, before Phil Salt blasted 56 off 27 balls to seal an eight-wicket win with 60 balls to spare.

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The final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, in front of 91,419 fans, was a far closer affair. RCB posted 190 for 9, with Kohli contributing a measured 43 off 35 balls before Arshdeep Singh dragged Punjab back into the contest with 3 for 40.

Chasing 191, Punjab mounted a serious challenge through Shashank Singh’s blistering, unbeaten 61 off 30 balls. But Krunal Pandya held his nerve brilliantly, returning 2 for 17 in four overs under enormous pressure to win the Player of the Match award as Punjab fell six runs short on 184 for 7.

In IPL 2026, RCB earned a Qualifier 1 berth as table toppers, and made use of their attempt to reach the final as they crushed GT by 92 runs powered by a captain’s knock of an unbeaten 93 runs off 33 balls by Rajat Patidar. History and the current squad’s form suggest they will not be easy to stop.

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* Will face the winner of the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 match on May 27 in the final slated for May 31.

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