"Virat Kohli threatened me" - AB de Villiers narrates

AB de Villiers has opened up about his bond with Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). RCB's long-awaited title win ended this year with a historic triumph over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

With a six-run win over the Punjab Kings (PBKS), the Royal Challengers Bengaluru didn’t just lift the cup, but it also stirred deep emotions among the legends who helped build its legacy, and AB de Villiers was among them.

AB de Villiers reveals why he knew RCB would finally win IPL 2025

Recently, the former South African captain has opened up about the powerful moments he shared with Virat Kohli during RCB's championship run in the IPL 2025. Before the season even began, the legendary batter had a strong feeling that something special was coming RCB’s way.

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After the IPL 2025 mega auction, de Villiers studied the squad closely and felt, for the first time, that the team finally had the perfect combination to go all the way. His confidence was based on a strong belief that this squad had everything needed to end their title drought in the tournament.

AB de Villiers opens up on his bond with Virat Kohli

AB de Villiers said on Kevin Pietersen’s The Switch channel, “Yeah, that was very special. Virat spoke to me; I actually spoke 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 revealed that his former teammate and Kohli messaged him after RCB won the key matches away from home, and asked him to be present when the team finally would lift the trophy. And De Villiers promised that he wouldn’t miss that moment for anything.

AB de Villiers says Virat Kohli wanted him there for the trophy moment

When RCB eventually completed their dream season, de Villiers stood right there beside the team, taking in every second of the celebration. The South African legend shared that Kohli pulled him close, reminding him how much he meant to the franchise and how the years of hard work put in by him and Chris Gayle had laid the foundation for this historic moment.

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He signed off by saying, “Virat sent me a text then, and I started really well, 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, so it was very special, and he was sort of whispering in my ear about what I meant to the team over the years. And he just hopes that I understand the gratitude for the hours we put in, Chris and I, over the years.”

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A post shared by Kevin Pietersen | The Switch (@kptheswitch)

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A post shared by Kevin Pietersen MBE (@kevinpietersen)

Notably, AB de Villiers has represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL from 2011 to 2021 and scored over 4100 runs for the franchise. He also represented the Delhi-based franchise in the IPL..