AB de Villiers was overjoyed after his former team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, showcased a dominant display to defeat Punjab Kings and reach the IPL 2025 finals.
RCB legend, who was part of the JioHotstar commentary team, spoke highly of RCB and their efforts to qualify for the finals. He made a bold claim, saying Virat Kohli will be that man for RCB in the finals to lead them to their maiden IPL trophy in 18 years.
RCB made light work of Punjab Kings, exposing their batting order on a tricky pitch—first restricting them to 104/10 and then chasing down the target in just 10 overs, as Rajat Patidar delivered the winning six to take his team home. Overall, it was a dominant display from RCB, who are now one step closer to their dream of winning the title.
Also Read: “Stop Mumbai” - Ravichandran Ashwin Picks RCB’s Ideal Final Foe
Advertisement
AB de Villiers Backs Focused RCB and Virat Kohli to End Title Drought
AB de Villiers outlined Virat Kohli’s focus and hard work, especially after his 12-run dismissal against PBKS. He said that even when Kohli isn’t scoring, his focus is always with the team.
"The first time I saw him on the screen for the PBKS vs RCB game was when he got out of the bus, and I just saw a lot of focus in that guy. That's the typical kind of body language we're so used to seeing," De Villiers told JioHotstar.
Later, ABD added that Virat Kohli’s celebration with the batters showed why he is the ultimate team man. He also said that the job is not done yet and predicted that Kohli will play a big knock in the IPL 2025 final.
"And what I love most about this is — he didn't score runs today, but we still saw him right till the end, celebrating with the batters. The ultimate team man, and he looks very, very focused. The job's not done yet, but I'm very excited to watch him play. I do not doubt in my mind he's going to play a big hand in the final," the South African added.
Also Read: Tom Moody Reacts to Shreyas Iyer's Dismissal in Crucial Match
Virat Kohli Leads with the Bat
Virat Kohli once again leads the team in the run-scorers chart, having scored 614 runs at an average of 55.82. He has scored a quarter of the team’s total runs this season, leading the batting unit by example.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the return of Josh Hazelwood has brought back the lost confidence in RCB’s bowling unit. Hazelwood’s contribution in Qualifier 1, the Aussie quick removed Shreyas Iyer early, triggering a collapse. Suyash Sharma then cleaned up the middle order with a match-winning spell, claiming 3 wickets and earning the Player of the Match award.
Also Read: “Lost the Battle, Not the War” - Shreyas Iyer Rallies Punjab Kings After Qualifier 1 Meltdown
