RCB's Record Reign: Highest Team Total in IPL History

The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season has kicked off with a flurry of record-breaking performances and the establishment of new milestones. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made history by setting the record for the highest team total in IPL history, scoring an impressive 277/3 in their allotted 20 overs.

Just when the masses thought it was an exclusive moment, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) also made a significant mark by achieving the second-highest IPL total with a score of 272/7 in their 20 overs, showcasing the fierce competition and high-scoring matches that define the IPL season.

Over the years, the biggest T20 competition in the world has seen numerous such knocks. Below we look at the top 10 teams with the highest team totals in IPL history. 

Highest Team Total in IPL History: Top 10

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad - 277/3 vs. Mumbai Indians | IPL 2024

Batting first, a star-studded Sunrisers Hyderabad side made an explosive start maintaining a run rate of 10 from the get-go. Australia’s 2023 World Cup hero Travis Head led the charge with a swashbuckling 24-ball-62 runs feat and was justly partnered by Abhishek Sharma, who did one better hitting 63 runs in just 23 balls. However, that wasn’t enough and the momentum was sustained by South African stars Aiden Markram (42) and Heinrich Klaasen (80). 

A total of 19 extra runs further made things worse for Mumbai Indians as SRH ended up with a tally of 277 runs, thus breaking the 11-year-old record of RCB to score the highest team total score in IPL. A total of 19 fours and 18 sixes were hit in the process with Piyush Chawla being Mumbai’s most expensive bowler.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders - 272/7 vs. Delhi Capitals | IPL 2024

One week after SRH’s carnage in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam witnessed yet another explosive feat by two-time IPL champions KKR. Batting first on a batting-friendly deck, KKR saw part-time opener Sunil Narine turning into a season T20 opener as he whacked seven boundaries and seven sixes to accumulate a quickfire 85 runs off 39 balls. By the time the southpaw was dismissed, KKR’s team score was already 164 in 12.3 overs.

Hard hitters Angkrish Raghuvanshi (54) and Andre Russell (41) sustained the carnage in the middle overs before the sensational Rinku Singh’s 8-ball-36 was the icing on the cake. KKR missed creating a record by just eight runs. A total of 22 boundaries and 18 sixes were hit in the process.

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore - 263/5 vs. Pune Warriors India | IPL 2013

It was a glorious era for the RCB franchise when the greats like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers used to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli to make matches mesmerizing even for the neutrals. Batting first, RCB got off to a flying start as Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan forged a mammoth 167-run stand for the first wicket.  

While an in-form Gayle kept sending the ball for sixes, the likes of Kohli, De Villiers, and Saurabh Tiwary kept chipping in runs at intervals. By the time RCB had batted 20 overs, the hosts had amassed 263 runs with Gayle unbeaten in 175 runs off 66 balls. He had hit 13 boundaries and 17 sixes in the process.

 4. Lucknow Super Giants - 257/5 vs. Punjab Kings | IPL 2023

In yet another recent set of high-scoring events, LSG came out to bat first and accumulated a huge 257-run target against the Punjab Kings in Mohali.  Batting first, LSG lost captain KL Rahul cheaply but impact player Kyle Mayers and young Ayush Badoni kept going. By the time Badoni was out, LSG were 163/3 in 13.3 overs and needed pure sloggers to keep the momentum going. 

Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran stepped up during this crucial juncture and jointly added 117 runs in just 59 balls to take the game home even before the second innings. Lucknow ended their innings with 27 fours and 13 sixes.

5. Royal Challengers Bangalore - 248/3 vs Gujarat Lions | IPL 2016

In one of the most one-sided matches in the Indian Premier League, RCB put GL to the sword in a brutal manner at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Bangalore franchise was having its best season ever in tournament history with skipper Virat Kohli and De Villiers in the form of their life. After losing the dangerous Gayle for just six runs, both Kohli and De Villiers scored centuries to take the game away from Gujarat. 

While Kohli’s innings were steadily rising, De Villiers exhibited elite pyrotechnics to hit 10 boundaries and 12 sixes to hit 129 runs off just 52 balls. RCB ended their innings with 248 runs and was wrapped by the Lions within 104 runs.