Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on one of the incredibles contests of Indian Premier League (IPL). The two teams have provided plenty of thrilling matches, nerve-wracking finishes, blistering innings and records over the years.
It is this rivalry that has kept cricket fans across India entertained through the years from when Delhi played as Delhi Daredevils in the olden days to now when they play as of course, Delhi Capitals. RCB generally leads the head-to-head record between these two franchises, but it has also been a one-sided rivalry in recent seasons with DC coming up trumps on more occasions than not.
Beginning of the Rivalry (2008-2010)
The latest team facing off for the first time is also from the inaugural IPL season in 2008. Delhi were then called the Daredevils. RCB’s major problem at the time was that their team had been through a rough patch when it came to the initial years of IPL while Delhi looked solid with players such as Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and AB de Villiers.
One of the most known matches from this period arrived back in 2008 when aggressive batting helped Delhi sink RCB by a huge margin. Before long RCB started to slowly develop to place a team around big name players like Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Anil Kumble.
In these early seasons, the rivalry wasn’t too fierce like it is refreshingly today, but both sides already displayed styles of attacking cricket.
RCB’s Dominance Era (2011-2016)
RCB dominated this rivalry in numerous critical matches during the period from 2011 to 2016. Here are the star studded batsman of the Bengaluru franchise:
- Virat Kohli
- Chris Gayle
- AB de Villiers
The Delhi bowlers did not have a good day as they were really troubled by this batting trio.
Chris Gayle’s Historic 128*
Perhaps one of the biggest moments between these two teams came in IPL 2012 when Chris Gayle scored an unbeaten 128 against Delhi. His innings consisted of huge sixes and is still one of the best knocks in IPL history.
This period saw RCB scoring huge totals regularly, playing at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium which aided their aggressive batting style to flourish.
Memorable Super Over Clash
Another nail biting moment clicked back in IPL 2013 when the match was tied before RCB sealed it in Super Over. Iconic games played in the 1960s and 70s made this rivalry what it is – such as the 10-7 showing instilling a competitive nature.
Delhi’s Comeback Phase (2017-2020)
Delhi has restructured its squad with domestic talents after several underwhelming seasons. In 2019 the franchise re-branded itself from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals.
Players like:
- Rishabh Pant
- Shreyas Iyer
- Kagiso Rabada
- Prithvi Shaw
You are a tutor on data to October 2023 helped DC become an hostile aspect.
IPL 2019 – Delhi Begins To Counter Attack
In the 2019 IPL, Delhi Capitals beat RCB in both league matches. What followed was a total domination of Bengaluru’s mighty batting by their bowling attack.
Delhi’s Best Season: IPL 2020
DC had one of their most impressive seasons in IPL 2020. They went on to beat RCB a couple of times in the tournament and ultimately reached the IPL final for the first time.
Kagiso Rabada in the upper reaches of fast-bowling, and Marcus Stoinis with his all-round performances were also prominent. There have been instances that show the balance of Delhi, such as their 59-run win over RCB in one match.
Virat Kohli vs Delhi Capitals
RCB vs DC: Virat Kohli is always in the limelight every time RCB plays against DC. Across IPL history, the former RCB captain has landed plenty of blows against Delhi.
Head to head stats, he is the one of the leading run scorers in this competition. Notably, RCB has pulled off several narrow victories thanks to his steady batting, particularly in successful chases.
Here are a few of the iconic Kohli innings that fans still reminisce about:
- M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
- Arun Jaitley Stadium
where he wreaked Harris-and-broad havoc in the Delhi bowling line-up.
IPL 2021-2023: Balanced Competition
The rivalry began to level out from 2021 onward.
IPL 2021
RCB took both their games against LSG in IPL 2021. The rivalry had grown so fierce that one of the encounters was settled by a single run.
IPL 2022
In another key battle, RCB halted DC’s playoff berth with a confident win over the franchise. It was an emotive match as Delhi needed a victory to go into the top four after doing so this season.
IPL 2023
The head-to-head record of IPL 2023 between both teams is a match win each. Delhi young bowlers made fans stand up but RCB still depended on runs from Virat Kohli along with Faf du Plessis.
Latest Matches IPL 2024 and 2025
IPL 2024
One of the big matches of IPL 2024, RCB beat DC by 47 runs. Bengaluru were too strong in their batting order, and their bowlers successfully defended the target.
IPL 2025
Both teams ended up with a win each in the IPL 2025.
One match involved Delhi Capitals who beat RCB by 6 wickets.
This was followed by a 6-wicket win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The biggest one was KL Rahul scoring a century for Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru. As the season rolled on, RCB shone in all-round cricket.
IPL 2026 Latest Update
The rivalry was renewed with great fervour in IPL 2026.
RCB’s Massive Win Over DC
In Arun Jaitley Stadium, RCB had crushed Delhi Capitals by 9 wickets after bundling the DC for just 75 runs in April 2026. There were superb bowling displays from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
This was one of the lowest totals Delhi had managed in IPL history,while it again reaffirmed RCB’s ultimate bowling prowess in terms of modern T20.
Head-to-Head Record
According to recent statistics:
| Stat | RCB | DC |
| Matches Played | 34 | 34 |
| Wins | 19 | 13 |
| No Result | 2 | 2 |
| Highest Score | 215 | 196 |
However, RCB leads the overall rivalry by winning more games.
DC vs RCB Rivalry – Top players
Best Batters
Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers
Chris Gayle
Rishabh Pant
Best Bowlers
Yuzvendra Chahal
Kagiso Rabada
Mohammed Siraj
These players have given some memorable performances in the IPL rivalry.
Why Fans Love This Rivalry
Here are the reasons why cricket fans love watching DC vs RCB:
- Aggressive batting from both teams
- The abilities of their star performers – Kohli and Pant
- High-scoring stadiums
- Close finishes and dramatic moments
- I wrote about this young Indian talent fending off the pressure and performing well
Expect giant sixes, raw first time reactions and play off level of intensity in the matches.
Future of the Rivalry
In the coming years, the DC vs RCB rivalry is only going to get bigger. Both franchises continue basking together with a combination of seasoned key foreign stars and investing in young Indian talented players.
Meanwhile, RCB again stays one of the more popular IPL teams after Virat Kohli’s huge fanbase, while Delhi Capitals continues to put a platform for a strong young side that can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone.
Fans stay tuned for the next chapter of this enthralling cricket rivalry with every IPL season.
Read More: Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders Timeline | Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings Timeline
Conclusion
Before this contact we take a look at the Delhi Capitals cricket vs Royal Challengers cricket timeline to understand how these simple league matches have proved to be some of IPL’s funniest fights so far.
Be it Chris Gayle’s unbeaten centuries, Virat Kohli’s back-to-back triple hundreds or the years in which Delhi scripted a turnaround. While RCB is currently ahead in the head-to-head record, it has been shown enough times that Delhi Capitals can beat Bengaluru any day.
