IPL 2025: Virat Kohli’s end is near? AB de Villiers drops huge 'finishing touch' remarks

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers lavished rich praise on Virat Kohli ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He said that winning the league with the franchise would be the perfect finishing touch to his phenomenal career.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is around the corner and the preparations for the tournament are on in full flow. The league is all set to begin on 22nd March, with defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Virat Kohli is one of the biggest match-winners in the IPL

The IPL 2025 will be a great opportunity for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to have their claim on the trophy. The franchise recently announced Rajat Patidar as their captain and has some quality players in the team this time around, with the biggest one being Virat Kohli, who has been an integral part of the franchise.

Kohli is one of the biggest match-winners in the IPL but, unfortunately, hasn't had his hands on the trophy. The batter is the leading run-getter in the league with over 8000 runs to his name and has also slammed 8 centuries and 55 half-centuries.

Virat Kohli is currently playing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and he has been in red-hot form in the tournament. This, no doubt, will be a great boost for the RCB going into the IPL 2025 as they would be keen to win their first-ever title.

Winning the IPL with RCB would be the perfect finishing touch to his already phenomenal career - AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli

AB de Villiers, while talking about Virat Kohli, pointed out how the batter is stepping out of his comfort zone to try new things. He stressed that winning the IPL would be icing on the cake for him. He also lauded the batter for his terrific last season. Speaking to JioHotstar, he said:

"It's great to see him stepping out of his comfort zone, trying new shots, and exploring different aspects of his game. He always had that ability in him. You can see how much it means to him.

"Winning the IPL with RCB would be the perfect finishing touch to his already phenomenal career. He was outstanding last season. His strike rate wasn't the problem - he played exactly the role his team needed him to."

The scrutiny over Virat's strike rate was absolutely ridiculous - AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers also lashed out at the critics of Virat Kohli, saying that talks over his strike rate were ridiculous. He stressed that the batter played the role that the team wanted. He explained:

"The scrutiny over Virat's strike rate was absolutely ridiculous. He had done exactly what his team needed from him. It's all about the situation.

"When he has someone at the other end he trusts, you see him experiment and play with more freedom. But when that's not the case, he stays true to his natural game -anchoring the innings when needed."

Also read: IPL 2025: Watch - Ravichandran Ashwin becomes MS Dhoni's batting coach