Former South African batter AB de Villiers, who plied his trade for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for 11 seasons during his IPL days, has strolled down memory lane to the IPL 2025 grand finale.
For the unversed, RCB defeated the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs to lift their maiden IPL silverware at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Speaking on Prakhar Gupta’s podcast, the former RCB batter revealed how Virat Kohli shared special moments with him during the final.
“It was incredibly special. It felt like I was part of the game, to be honest. I was there for both finals. I experienced the energy and atmosphere of the team and the fight they showed out there. I had a very special moment with Virat as well. He was constantly making eye contact with me during the game. For them to invite us after the game and telling us to be part of the journey was not necessary, but a special touch from him and the team, to pull Chris and myself in there. I knew it was a matter of time for the team to push through and break the shackles, and finally that happened, and hopefully the floodgates open,” AB de Villiers said during a podcast with Prakhar Gupta.
Speaking about his IPL career with RCB, AB de Villiers has played 156 games, scoring 4491 runs at an average of 41.2 and a strike rate of 158.64 with two centuries and 37 half-centuries. Further, the former RCB star revealed that he always felt lucky to be a part of the Bengaluru-based franchise.
“We had great energy. We never won during my playing days, but luckily RCB is catching up nicely now. But it was great energy. I was in awe of some of the greats I was sharing the dressing room with. There was Chris, Virat, and quite a few others. That was something that always stood out for me. Seeing how they prepare for games, what kind of humans they are, and the character they show. It is a privilege. The dressing room was fun, and I always felt lucky to be there,” he added.
