Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. During his stay at RCB, he formed a formidable partnership with Virat Kohli, on and off the field. De Villiers had promised he would come to watch if RCB qualify for their fourth IPL final. Now, he wants his friend Kohli to deliver the trophy.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 final, De Villiers wants Kohli to walk out to the middle at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on June 3 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and enjoy himself. He wants Kohli to put a smile on his face as he plays for the coveted trophy in the 18th edition of the league.
“My message to Virat is to go out and enjoy and have fun out there. Put a smile on your face. I will be there watching you. Bring that (IPL) trophy home. Enjoy every minute of it," De Villiers said in a video posted by Star Sports on X.
While RCB haven't played a single match in Ahmedabad this season, Kohli has a decent record here. He has 219 runs from six games averaging well above 50. He has two half-centuries. However, he would like to improve his strike rate of 131.13 considering the batting-friendly conditions where a 200-run score isn't enough.
Kohli's record against PBKS this season and overall
The last time Kohli faced RCB was in IPL Qualifier 1 where he was dismissed for 12 by a short ball outside off by New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson. Earlier in the season, he was dismissed for just one run by Arshdeep Singh in the rain-curtailed game at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. In Mullanpur, he scored an unbeaten 74 in the successful run chase from 54 balls.
Kohli can break former Australian opener David Warner's record (1,116 runs) for most runs against PBKS in the IPL. Kohi has scored 1,116 runs from 35 innings at an average of 36, including a century and six fifties.
Kohli's chance to leave two T20 veterans behind
Meanwhile, Kohli has a chance to surpass former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard (13,537 runs) and former Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik (13,571 runs). Before the final, Kohli has 13,500 runs from 413 T20s at an average of 122, including nine centuries and 105 half-centuries. The 36-year-old has a chance to become third-highest run-scorer in the format if he scores 72 or more runs in the final.