The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen batters dominating the bowlers and set up big totals. But there have also been occasions where the bowlers have got the better of batters, bowling a team out for a low score. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) holds the record for the lowest total in the IPL after being bowled out for 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2017 season.
Lowest Totals in the IPL
Though RCB holds the record for the lowest score, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Daredevils, now Delhi Capitals, have been bowled out cheaply in IPL on several occasions. RCB is the only team in the IPL history to be bowled out for less than 50 runs.
Here are the five lowest totals in the IPL history:
| Season | Team | Score | Opposition |
| 2017 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 49 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2009 | Rajasthan Royals | 58 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2023 | Rajasthan Royals | 59 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 66 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 67 | Kings XI Punjab |
| 2008 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 67 | Mumbai Indians |
Royal Challengers Bangalore – 49 all out
RCB had its worst nightmare when it played Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2017 season at Eden Gardens. Batting first, KKR posted 131 runs on the board, and RCB, who splashed ₹12 crore for Tymal Mills in the 2017 IPL auction, was expected to win the match comfortably. What followed next was complete dominance from the KKR bowling attack. The home side bundled out RCB for just 49 runs. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Woakes, and Colin de Grandhomme took three wickets, while none of the RCB batters reached the double-figure mark.
Rajasthan Royals – 58 all out
RR batters had their worst nightmare come true when they faced RCB bowlers at Newlands, Capetown, in the 2009 season. RCB batted first and made 133 in their allocated 20 overs. The inaugural champions, expected to chase the target, were bowled out for just 58 runs. Anil Kumble was the destructor in chief with a maiden five-wicket haul in IPL. Eight out of the 11 RR players failed to register double-digit scores.
Rajasthan Royals – 59 all out
The RR batters had another flop show. Chasing a formidable 172 in a crunch game in the 2023 edition, RR lost the plot and found themselves in deep trouble at 31/6. The Sanju Samson-led side reached the 50-mark thanks to Shimron Hetmyer’s 35 but couldn’t avoid an embarrassing defeat. Wayne Parnell terrorized the RR batters with 3/10 and got excellent support from Michael Bracewell and Karn Sharma, who took two wickets each.
Delhi Daredevils – 66 all out
Mumbai Indians (MI) were brutal when it took on the Delhi Daredevils (DD) team in the IPL 2017 season at Feroz Shah Kolkata, now Arun Jaitley Stadium. MI batted first and smashed DD bowlers for fun, scoring 212 of their allocated 20 overs. DD was never in the game and lost wickets regularly, getting bowled out for just 66 runs. Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma made the most of the conditions by picking up three wickets each. Karun Nair top-scored the Delhi-based franchise with 21 runs.
Delhi Daredevils & Kolkata Knight Riders – 67 all out
A few days before they folded for 66, DD batters sank to a low against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), now Punjab Kings. DD batters struggled after batting first against an all-Indian bowling lineup in Mohali. Sandeep Sharma took 4/20 as DD were bowled out for 67. Corey Anderson was the only batter who made a 20+ score. KXIP chased down the total in under eight overs, ending a miserable evening for the DD faithful. KKR was also bowled out for the same score against Mumbai Indians in the first IPL season.
Concluding Thoughts
Even the best batting lineups can have their worst days, and such instances have occurred in the IPL several times. Strong batting teams like RCB and RR had terrible days with the bat. Cricket fans will hope that they do not get to see such one-sided matches in the most popular leagues.