Reckless. Self-destructive. Whatever you may call it, Royal Challengers Bangalore's capitulation for 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens broke a dubious Indian Premier League (IPL) record for the lowest team score since the tournament's inception in 2008. Captain Virat Kohli said the performance was so bad that there was "nothing to review". But such collapses are not uncommon in the IPL. We look at the five worst batting displays in the tournament.
49 - by Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders, 2017
7,0,1,8,9,8,2,0,2,5,0 - this is not a telephone number. These are the individual scores of the RCB batsmen in their collapse against some inspired fast bowling, led by Nathan Coulter-Nile. How could a line-up comprising Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli succumb to 49? The RCB bowlers did a fine job restricting KKR to a modest 131 but their batsmen perished playing one terrible shot after another, perhaps caught unawares by the conditions that offer more to the seamers as the night wore on. Coincidentally, exactly four years to the day, RCB set an IPL record for the highest ever team score - 263 for 5 - against Pune Warriors. From Royal Challengers to Royally Challenged - that's the tragicomedy that is the RCB.
58 - by Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2009
This was quite a slap in the face for the defending champions Rajasthan Royals. It was the opening day of the IPL in South Africa. Chasing 134, Royals were 14 for 3, but all hopes of a revival were thwarted by Anil Kumble, who ran through the lower order to finish with astonishing figures of 5 for 5. Kumble dispelled the myth that Twenty20 cricket was not for older men.
67 - by Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians, 2008
A collapse triggered by another veteran - Shaun Pollock. The Wankhede pitch offered good bounce and movement, exploited fully by the seamers. Pollock, Dominic Thornely and Dwayne Bravo shared seven wickets between them to send KKR crashing to 67 - then the record lowest IPL score - in 15.2 overs. Mumbai finished the chase in just 5.3 overs, then the biggest T20 win in terms of balls to spare (87).
70 - by Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals, 2014
In the middle of the third over, RCB were 5 for 4. They soon slid to 28 for 6. Once again, a line-up comprising Yuvraj Singh, Kohli and de Villiers was brought to its knees. Legspinner Pravin Tambe finished with four wickets to end the innings after 15 overs. Royals chased down the target in 13 overs.
74 - by Kochi Tuskers Kerala v Deccan Chargers, 2011
0,4,0,0,0,0,0 - the individual scores of the top six Kochi Tuskers batsmen. Ishant Sharma bowled perhaps one of his best spells, taking five of those wickets. Tuskers were in danger of collapsing for a sub-50 score, but somehow avoided that humiliation. The Tuskers’ duck-count increased to seven. Chargers could scarcely have imagined this scenario, given that they themselves were 20 for 3 batting first. Kumar Sangakkara was a class apart, scoring 65.
