AB de Villiers backs Virat Kohli to star in IPL 2025 final, says he is going to play a big hand

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter AB de Villiers has backed Virat Kohli to shine in the IPL 2025 final. RCB qualified for the IPL final for the fourth occasion after beating Punjab Kings comprehensively by eight wickets at Mullanpur on Thursday.

The visitors were able to skittle out PBKS for a paltry score of 101 runs after Rajat Patidar decided to bowl first. Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma bagged three wickets apiece for the tourists.

Meanwhile, de Villiers noted that Kohli looked all focused in the all-important game as he was pumped up on the field. Kohli was also making adjustments in the field and was giving his inputs to the RCB bowlers.

“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 said while speaking on JioHotstar. 

“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,” De Villiers added.

Kohli was dismissed after scoring only 12 runs in the first qualifier but the former South African captain backed him to star in the all-important final.

“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,” De Villiers said.

The former RCB batter recalled that the franchise had a good chance to win the IPL title in 2011.

“I think 2011 was a good chance to win the title. Everyone talks about the 2016 season, but let’s forget about the past. Where are RCB now? In another final, in 2025. It’s closer than you think and smaller than you think,” De Villiers said.

RCB will play in their fourth IPL final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Tuesday.