"I was very happy that he knew my name" - Shashank Singh opens up on conversation with RCB legend after IPL 2025 final

Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh revealed having an hour-long conversation with former South African captain AB de Villiers after the IPL 2025 final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). As one of RCB's all-time greats, De Villiers was in attendance for the summit clash in Ahmedabad.

The franchise finally broke their trophy drought, defeating PBKS by six runs to win their maiden IPL title. Meanwhile, Shashank was at the opposite end of the spectrum as his side missed the opportunity to win their first-ever IPL title.

Yet, he was one of the bright spots for PBKS, scoring an unbeaten 30-ball 61 in defeat.

Recalling his interaction with De Villiers after the IPL 2025 final in a recent interview with Crictracker, Shashank said:

"I talked to him for an hour. And he knew about it. And I was very happy that he knew my name. Because 10 years ago, or 5 years ago, I didn't think that AB de Villiers would know my name. So it was a big thing for me. He knew my name. He came to our final match this year. He came to watch the match."

He continued:

"Obviously, I told him that when I was batting, he told someone that this guy can change the game. I mean, again, it was a compliment. Sometimes, such compliments touch you a lot. So I mean, AB de Villiers is your idol, and he was saying that I can change the game. I felt very good that I am in the right direction. I am on the right path."

Shashank enjoyed an excellent IPL 2025 season with the bat, finishing with 350 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 153.50 in 17 games.

"I told him that you are my idol" - Shashank Singh

Shashank Singh further opened up about expressing his admiration for AB de Villiers in the interaction with the Protea legend after the IPL 2025 final. De Villiers is the eighth leading run-scorer in the IPL with 5,162 runs at an average of almost 40 and a strike rate of 151.68 in 184 outings.

"I like AB de Villiers a lot. I always consider him my idol. Especially the way he used to play white ball. I told him that you are my idol and I am a big fan of yours, and that's why I want to be like you. You play a lot of shots, and I don’t think I can play all those, because in the world, there are very few people who can play like that. But your mindset, your intention, that's what I want to learn from you," said Shashank Singh (via the aforementioned source).

Apart from his incredible IPL numbers, De Villiers also enjoyed tremendous success in international cricket, finishing with over 20,000 runs and 47 centuries across formats.