Published: May 29, 2025, 12:43 PM (IST)
Edited: May 29, 2025, 12:43 PM (IST)
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star AB de Villiers took a brutal dig at the commentators for criticising RCB during their final league-stage match of IPL 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
RCB bowlers gave away 227 runs, with Rishabh Pant scoring a brilliant century. However, stellar knocks from Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, and Jitesh Sharma powered RCB to a massive victory. AB de Villiers noted that commentators were more focused on criticising the bowlers than evaluating the playing conditions at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium. The win was crucial for RCB, securing them a Top 2 finish ahead of the IPL Playoffs.
“I listened to the commentators last night, and honestly, it got me so angry,” said de Villiers on his weekly show on YouTube. “They were so negative when we were bowling. They kept saying, ‘RCB’s bowling is under pressure. They don’t look like they’re going to manage it.” said de Villiers on his weekly show on YouTube
“Once again, an in-form team is starting to lose momentum.’ But what about this-maybe it was just a really good batting wicket, guys? To all you very clever and sharp commentators out there, how about considering the possibility that it was an excellent surface for batting?” de Villiers said
“They went on about how RCB’s bowling unit was once again in poor form. As I watched the match, I thought: sometimes commentators get fixated on a narrative. Yes, RCB have never won a title, but it’s lazy to keep saying, ‘Here we go again. The bowlers are failing, they’re useless,’ without properly analysing what’s happening on the field. Rishabh Pant is not going to score 118 off 60-odd balls on a tricky, very difficult pitch. All the LSG batters were fluent out there.” he added
“Yes, there was some poor bowling at times. But ultimately, one must look at the bigger picture-227 runs on a wicket that typically doesn’t support such batting suggests it was simply a very good surface. RCB were still in the contest; they weren’t blown away, and they proved that,” de Villiers concluded
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be facing Punjab Kings for Qualifier 1 at the Maharaja Yadavinder Singh International Stadium on May 29th.
