Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are up against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a must-win clash of the 2024 edition of the IPL at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 21. However, RCB will not be seen in their traditional (red, dark blue and gold) jersey and will be sporting the green kit as part of their ‘Go Green’ initiative. This is the first time that the ‘Go Green’ game will be taking place outside Bengaluru.
Since 2011, RCB have been playing a game every season as part of the initiative wearing the green kit to create awareness around a greener and more sustainable environment. Only in 2021, RCB sported a blue kit instead of a green one to pay tribute to the frontline workers during the second wave of COVID-19.
RCB has become the first carbon-neutral cricket team. Now as per India Cares Foundation’s report, RCB have completed the restoration work of two major lakes in Bengaluru and are continuing the work on the third one as well as part of the initiative. The players too have indulged in urging everyone to plant more trees and reduce wastage of resources such as water and electricity over the years.
While the cause and intentions have been noble, RCB’s record hasn’t been great while wearing the green kit but who knows, the change of colours could bring in a change of fortunes for the side. In 12 matches wearing the green kit, RCB have only four of them two of them in a row in the last couple of years while losing seven of them and one against the then Delhi Daredevils was washed out due to rain in 2015.
RCB’s results in Go Green games:
Won vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 2011 (9 wickets)
Lost vs Mumbai Indians, 2012 (5 wickets)
Lost vs Kings XI Punjab, 2013 (7 wickets)
Lost vs Chennai Super Kings, 2014 (8 wickets)
NR vs Delhi Daredevils, 2015
Won vs Gujarat Lions, 2016 (144 runs)
Lost vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2017 (6 wickets)
Lost vs Rajasthan Royals, 2018 (19 runs)
Lost vs Delhi Capitals, 2019 (4 wickets)
Lost vs Chennai Super Kings, 2020 (8 wickets)
Won vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2022 (67 runs)
Won vs Rajasthan Royals, 2023 (7 runs)
This is the first time that the ‘Go Green’ game will be taking place outside Bengaluru (apart from the 2020 season where the tournament took place in the UAE) since RCB don’t have a day game scheduled at home this year. The last time RCB took on Kolkata Knight Riders in the green game was in 2017 and the home side was handed a knockout punch by the two-time champions riding on the record powerplay by the duo of Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn.
Narine has already hurt RCB this season in the first meeting between the two sides but the Faf du Plessis-led side will be keen to get a result in their favour this time around, given they have no other option left. RCB have to win every game from here to keep their chances alive, even if mathematically.
