The rivalry between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is considered the most high-profile “Southern Derby” match in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite CSK’s historical dominance, recent years have witnessed a significant shift in this rivalry, culminating in a 43-run victory for RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 5, 2026.
Royal Challengers
250/3
(20)
Completed
Sunday, April 5
Royal Challengers won by 43 runs
Indian Premier League
T20 · 11 of 70
207
(19.4)
Super Kings
Player of the Match
Tim David (RCB) · 70* (25)
Current Status (2025–2026)
The narrative of this rivalry shifted dramatically in 2025, when RCB won their maiden IPL title. During that championship season, RCB achieved a hard-fought ‘clean sweep’ against CSK—a feat that included a historic 50-run victory at Chepauk, thereby ending a 17-year drought at that venue.
As of the most recent match held on April 5, 2026, the two teams have faced each other 36 times:
Chennai Super Kings Wins: 21
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Wins: 14
No Result: 1
Although CSK holds the overall lead, as of April 2026, RCB has emerged victorious in 4 of the last 6 encounters.
RCB has maintained the upper hand by sustaining a strong performance since the previous year, 2025.
Based on Head-to-Head Statistics and Records
This rivalry is characterized by a stark contrast in performance across different venues and tours.
Category Record Holder Details
Most Runs Virat Kohli (RCB) 1,146 runs in 35 matches
Most Runs for CSK MS Dhoni 795 runs against RCB
Most Wickets Ravindra Jadeja 18 wickets in 24 matches (mostly for CSK)
Highest Score CSK 226/6 in Bengaluru (2023)
Lowest Score RCB All out for 70 runs in Chennai (2019)
Most Sixes Virat Kohli 48 sixes
Dominance on the Field
- Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru): Across 12 encounters, RCB holds a 6–5 lead (with one match ending in a no-result). The short boundaries at this venue have traditionally complemented RCB’s aggressive batting style.
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk): CSK’s fortress, where they have won 8 out of 10 matches against RCB. Up until 2025, RCB had not won a single match here since the inaugural season in 2008.
RCB’s spectacular victory has proven that the team has now truly hit its stride.
Memorable Moments from the Matches
2011 IPL Final: CSK successfully defended their title by defeating RCB by 58 runs at Chepauk; this remains one of the most one-sided finals in the history of the IPL.
2018 Bengaluru: While chasing a target of 206 runs, CSK stood at 74/4 when MS Dhoni stepped up to score an unbeaten 70 off just 34 balls, guiding the team to a thrilling victory.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays exceptionally well and has taken CSK to new heights.
2019 Bengaluru: RCB won by a mere 1 run; MS Dhoni came agonizingly close to chasing down the target of 26 runs in the final over, but he missed the last ball.
2025 Bengaluru (Match 52): A truly thrilling encounter in which RCB emerged victorious by 2 runs. Romario Shepherd smashed 50 runs off 14 balls, while Yash Dayal successfully defended 15 runs in the final over against Dhoni.
Players’ Legacies: Virat Kohli vs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
For nearly two decades, the pulse of this rivalry has been defined by the contest between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.
Virat Kohli: The highest run-scorer in this rivalry, Kohli has posted scores of over 50 runs against CSK on 10 occasions—the most such scores by any player against a single opposition team in the history of the IPL.
MS Dhoni: Even at the age of 43 in 2025, Dhoni remained the emotional anchor of CSK, although he did face criticism for batting as low as number 9 in some matches. His average of 100.25 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium stands as a testament to his career-long dominance in Bengaluru.
Whenever Mahendra Singh Dhoni steps onto the field, the noise level in the stadium surges to 122 dB.
The 2026 “Defending Champions” Campaign
In the most recent match held on April 5, 2026, RCB took the field for the first time as the defending champions. Thanks to contributions of 70 (25) from Tim David and 48 (19) from Rajat Patidar, they posted a massive total of 250/3. Despite a brilliant innings of 50 runs from Sarfaraz Khan, CSK was restricted to 207/9, handing RCB a comfortable 43-run victory.
Without Mahendra Singh Dhoni, CSK has been left adrift; however, Mahendra Singh Dhoni could make his return to the field this week.