AB de Villiers betrays Virat Kohli, drops "guys are rude..." bombshell

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have finally broken their long wait and stormed into the IPL final for the first time since 2016. RCB crushed Punjab Kings by 8 wickets in Qualifier 1, wrapping up the chase in just 10 overs after bowling PBKS out for a mere 101 in 14.1 overs, and qualified for the IPL 2025 final.

With momentum on their side and history calling, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru now have a golden chance to lift their first-ever IPL trophy. But this time, RCB is following a strict superstition, and that is no one is allowed to say “Ee Saala Cup Namde” (This year, the cup will be ours) - a slogan that's been famously associated with heartbreak for years in the tournament.

AB de Villiers admits he accidentally said RCB’s jinxed slogan

The former South African captain and RCB icon AB de Villiers, who promised Virat Kohli that he wouldn’t jinx the team by saying the phrase, revealed that he slipped up and said it accidentally during the ongoing IPL 2025 season ahead of the title clash on June 3 in Ahmedabad.

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While laughing off the incident, De Villiers revealed how fans kept trapping him into saying it. It seems that the Proteas legend had promised his former teammates and one of his close friends, Virat Kohli, that he would avoid saying the phrase "Ee Saala Cup Namde" during this season.

It wasn't my fault: AB de Villiers on breaking his promise

AB de Villiers said on Star Sports, “Yeah, it wasn't my fault. The guys are rude over here, man. They're setting traps for me.”

Notably, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers played together for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for 11 years. During this period, RCB made it to the IPL final twice but couldn’t win the title. One of the most heartbreaking losses came in 2016 when they narrowly lost the final to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In 2011, they lost the IPL trophy to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Now, they are just one step away from creating history. RCB’s rivals for the IPL 2025 final will be decided in the Qualifier 2 between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians on June 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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Suryakumar Yadav set to break AB de Villiers’ IPL record

Meanwhile, one of AB de Villiers’ iconic records is the line as MI set to face PBKS to set the final date with RCB. Actually, Mumbai Indians’ batter Suryakumar Yadav is just a step away from creating history.

As MI gears up to face PBKS in Qualifier 2, Surya is on the verge of breaking ABD’s huge record. So far in IPL 2025, Suryakumar has 673 runs to his name, and now he needs only 15 more runs to break AB de Villiers' record for the most runs by a middle-order batter in a single IPL season.

Currently, De Villiers holds the record with 687 runs in 2016, followed by Rishabh Pant (684 in 2018). If Surya crosses 688, he will top the all-time list and create a new IPL record.