IPL 2025: "Hopefully this.."- AB de Villiers backs RCB to win the title this year

AB de Villiers played for RCB from 2011 to 2021.

Former South Africa stalwart AB de Villiers has backed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 title. Notably, De Villiers formerly represented RCB for over a decade from IPL 2011 to IPL 2021.

De Villiers was a key batsman under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, however, he could not win the trophy during his tenure. De Villiers was part of the RCB team that lost the finals in the 2011 and 2016 editions. During his active years in the IPL, he was one of the poster boys for the RCB franchise.

RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, have become the first finalists of IPL 2025. They =booked a berth in the final by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 on May 29. They outplayed them by a huge margin of eight wickets by chasing down a 102-run total.

Hopefully, this will be the year for RCB: AB de Villiers

During a chat with ANI, Villiers said he is looking forward to Qualifier 2 and the final. He also backed RCB to win the title this time.

“I am very happy that RCB is in the final. So MI winning last night, so it will be a very good Qualifier 2 knockout match between Punjab [Kings] and MI. Looking forward to that one. And whoever deserves will face RCB in the final. I am very much looking forward to the final and hopefully this will be the year for RCB,” he said.

Notably, the Rajat Patidar & Co. showed impeccable bowling show against the Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS in the Qualifier 1. They bundled them out for just 101 runs in the first innings. Later, they chased down the target by eight wickets in the 10th over to register a huge victory.

Meanwhile, the IPL 2025 final will be played on June 3 at the Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. Mumbai Indians (MI) and PBKS will clash in the Qualifier 2 match on June 1. The winner of the encounter will face RCB in the final. MI crushed Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator clash by 20 runs on May 30.

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