Virat Kohli gracefully showered praise on former teammate AB de Villiers after RCB were crowned IPL 2025 champions on Tuesday. The Royal Challenger Bengaluru ended their 18-year wait for a title, defeating Punjab Kings in the final by 6 runs for their first championship. De Villiers, who was a long time RCB player, retired in 2021 without winning the title, but joined in on the celebrations at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Virat Kohli extends AB de Villiers bromance after RCB’s title win
An emotional Virat Kohli spoke volumes about AB de Villiers after RCB’s IPL 2025 win in Ahmedabad. Kohli was in tears after RCB officially clinched the title and talked in length with the broadcasters. Even during the final overs of the game, Kohli celebrated with AB, who was sat right behind his former teammate on the boundary.
Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers together celebrating Stoinis’ wicket.
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— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 3, 2025
“What ABD has done for the franchise is tremendous, told him ‘this win is as much yours as it is ours. I want you to celebrate with us’. He’s been the POTM most times in the franchise despite being retired for four years. Tells you the impact he’s had on the league, team and me. He deserves to be on the podium, lifting the cup,” Virat Kohli said after the game.
De Villiers and Kohli were teammates at RCB for 11 years before the former retired ahead of IPL 2022. The duo are the most successful partnership in IPL history, scoring 3123 runs in 76 innings, averaging 43.98. They have the most century partnerships in IPL history, with 10 to their name. The former Proteas captain in fact, still has the most player of the match awards in RCB history.
Kohli and De Villiers were part of the RCB squad when they lost the 2016 finals to Sunrisers Hyderabad. De Villiers eventually retired without winning the trophy. For Kohli, his luck finally prevailed. And when it did, the RCB legend did remember his long-time teammate.
The post ‘He deserves to be on the podium,’ Virat Kohli pays tribute to AB de Villiers after RCB end IPL trophy drought appeared first on Inside Sport India.