The Fixture That Started It All · IPL only · Record through the 2026 season
Every IPL rivalry since owes something to this one, because this fixture opened the league: on 18 April 2008 in Bengaluru, Brendon McCullum smashed 158 not out for Kolkata in the first match in IPL history, and franchise cricket changed overnight. Nine years later at Eden Gardens, KKR bowled RCB out for 49 — still the lowest total in IPL history. Kolkata lead the all-time record 20-16, built on those two era-defining extremes, but Bengaluru have won the last two meetings, including the 2026 game in Raipur. One abandoned fixture (Bengaluru, May 2025) is not counted in the played total. In 2027 the fixture pairs the 2024 champions against the back-to-back defending champions — the league's two most recent winners, in its oldest pairing.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| IPL meetings | 36 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders wins | 20 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins | 16 |
| No result | 0 |
| The first IPL match ever | 18 April 2008, Bengaluru — Brendon McCullum's 158 not out for KKR in the league's opening game |
| Lowest total | 49 all out — RCB, Eden Gardens, 2017 — still the lowest team total in IPL history |
| Highest team total | 222/6 — KKR |
| RCB highest total | 221 |
| Latest meeting | 13 May 2026, Raipur — RCB won by 6 wickets |
The teams have never met in an IPL final. Their biggest knockout meeting was the 2021 Eliminator in Sharjah, which Kolkata won by 4 wickets.
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The teams have met 36 times in the IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders have won 20 and Royal Challengers Bengaluru 16. Kolkata Knight Riders lead the all-time record.
The teams have never met in an IPL final. Their biggest knockout meeting was the 2021 Eliminator in Sharjah, which Kolkata won by 4 wickets.
Their next meeting comes in IPL 2027, but the fixture list is PENDING official BCCI release — the season window is 10 March to 15 May 2027. Ticket guidance for when dates land: our IPL tickets guide.