AB de Villiers has disclosed the nature of his relationship with Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team. The long-awaited triumph of RCB was finally celebrated this year with an unprecedented victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with a narrow victory of six runs over the Punjab Kings (PBKS), not only ascended the throne but also revived intense feelings among the greats who were part of the RCB family, and AB de Villiers was one of them.
AB de Villiers shares the secret why he was so convinced RCB would lift the IPL cup in 2025.
The former South African captain has recently talked about the strong bonds that he and Virat Kohli had during RCB’s triumphant run in the IPL 2025. Even before the start of the season, the legendary batter had this very strong instinct that something great was in store for RCB.
Following the IPL 2025 mega auction, de Villiers took a keen interest in the squad and, for the first time, thought the team had the perfect mixture to reach the final. The manager’s optimism was rooted in a firm conviction that the crew had everything to break their long-standing jinx in the championship.
AB de Villiers reveals his relationship with Virat Kohli
AB de Villiers on Kevin Pietersen’s The Switch channel, “Yeah, it was very special. Virat talked to me; I actually talked to him around the auction time and I told him, I think this is it. When I saw the squad, I honestly—I’ll show you the message later
I just wrote, like, it’s the first time that I honestly can look at our squad and feel like I’ve no doubt we’re going on to win this. Not predicting that we’re going to win it, but we have a very, very good chance with the squad.”
De Villiers said that his former partner and Kohli wrote to him after RCB had secured crucial victories on their opponents’ grounds and invited him to be there when the team would eventually lay its hands on the trophy. And De Villiers assured that he would not miss that moment at all.
AB de Villiers claims Virat Kohli wanted him for the trophy moment
When RCB finally achieved their dream season, de Villiers was right there with the team, experiencing every minute of the celebration. The South African icon narrated how Kohli hugged him tightly, reminding him of his significance to the team and how the hard work over the years by him and Chris Gayle had facilitated this historic moment.
He concluded by saying, “Virat texted me then, and I got off to a great start, obviously, winning away from home. And then he just sent me a text saying, ‘You better be here when we win this trophy.’ And I said, I will not miss it for the world.”
Yeah, it was really special, and he was kind of leaning towards me and talking about the significance of my role to the team throughout all these years. And he really wants me to see the appreciation for the time we spent, just Chris and me, through the years.”
Importantly, AB de Villiers played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL for a decade from 2011 to 2021 and made more than 4100 runs for the team. He also played for the Delhi team in the IPL.
