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Former South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers believes that Virat Kohli will play a big hand in the IPL 2025 final where the Bengaluru-based franchise will be meeting either the Punjab Kings or Gujarat Titans or Mumbai Indians.
RCB comprehensively defeated PBKS by eight wickets on Thursday in Mullanpur to qualify for an IPL final for the first time in nine years. It was a fantastic all-round performance from Rajat Patidar and Co. who bundled out PBKS for just 101 runs. It was a brilliant bowling display with the pick of the bowlers being Suyash Sharma and Josh Hazlewood, who took three scalps each.
AB de Villiers believes that Virat Kohli will play a big role in the final
In reply, Phil Salt's sensational fifty carried RCB to the victory and they ended up reaching the 102-run target in just 10 overs. Though Kohli wasn't able to contribute much and got dismissed for just 12 runs, de Villiers believes that the batting icon will fire in the final on June 3.
"The first time I saw him on the screen for 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. 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," de Villiers told JioHotstar.
"The ultimate team man, and he looks very, very focused. Obviously, the job's not done yet, but I'm very excited to watch him play. I have no doubt in my mind he's going to play a big hand in the final," he added.
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This is the fourth IPL final that RCB have made and though they have already lost on three occasions, de Villiers feels that there is a big chance for the franchise to finally bring the trophy home on this occasion.
"I think 2011 was a really 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 - 2025. It's closer than you think and smaller than you think. So hopefully those little moments will go in RCB's favour, come the 3rd of June. It was around the auction time when I felt like RCB really got the balance right this year. It's not a one-dimensional batting line-up, not a one-dimensional bowling line-up - there are options," de Villiers stated.
"I just loved the look of that squad when I saw it come out. They found a way to gel together as a unit. As you can see, all the players individually chipped in at times, and that is a sign of a healthy environment," de Villiers concluded.
Though PBKS ended up recording a humiliating loss against RCB, they can still make it to the final if they go on to defeat the winner of the eliminator that will be played between the Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians on May 30. The penultimate match of IPL 2025 will be played at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
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