The worst batting performance in IPL history

Apr 05, 2022

The worst batting performance in IPL history Image

Given that there have now been hundreds of matches played in the IPL, there are days for any team or individual when things have not gone according to plan.

One such day came for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in April 2017 in Kolkata.

Things initially went well for Bangalore. After winning the toss and choosing to field, they had managed to bowl out KKR for just 131, with 3 balls to spare. Yuzvendra Chahal took 3-16 and Pawan Negi 2-15.

With a batting line-up comprising the likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and A.B. de Villiers, RCB seemed to be in line for a straightforward in.

But they struggled from the moment that Kohli went for a duck off just the third ball of their reply. By the Powerplay they had lost four wickets, including de Villiers, and Kedar Jadhav, who ended up top-scoring with nine.

Gayle and Stuart Binny added 16 for the sixth wicket, by far the biggest partnership of the innings. But once Gayle departed for seven, the writing was on the wall. The last six wickets fell for the addition of just nine runs, as RCB were bowled out for 49. 

The whole innings had lasted just 58 balls. It was and remains the lowest team total in the history of the competition.

For the KKR bowlers, on the other hand, it was an excellent chance to improve this figures. Colin de Grandhomme took 3-4, Chris Woakes 3-6, and Nathan Coulter-Nile 3-21. Coulter-Nile was named Player of the Match but it could have been any of them.

KKR won by 82 runs.

It turned out to be a miserable season for RCB, who finished bottom of the league and with a vastly inferior net run rate. KKR went on to make the playoffs, won the Eliminator, but lost the Qualifier 2 to the Mumbai Indians.