To provide a high-strength cold rolled steel sheet that has well-balanced tensile strength and elongation as well as well-balanced tensile strength and stretch-flangeability, and a plated steel sheet manufactured by plating the steel sheet.The high-strength cold rolled steel sheet contains: 0.10 to 0.28% of C, 1.0 to 2.0% of Si, 1.0 to 3.0% of Mn, and 0.03 to 0.10% of Nb in terms of % by mass, wherein the content of Al is controlled to 0.5 or less, the content of P is controlled to 0.15% or less, and the content of S is controlled to 0.02% or less, and wherein residual austenite accounts for 5 to 20%, bainitic ferrite accounts for 50% or more, and polygonal ferrite accounts for 30% or less (containing 0%), of the entire structure, and wherein a mean number of residual austenite blocks is 20 or more as determined when the random area (15 μm×15 μm) is observed by EBSP (electron back scatter diffraction pattern).