"I will be there at the stadium" - Former legend makes huge claim on RCB’s qualification for IPL 2025 final

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers has pledged to be present at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final if Rajat Patidar and co. manage to secure qualification, and have a shot at the elusive title. The three-time finalists are well placed in the points table ahead of the business stage of the campaign, aiming for a top-two finish following the league's restart after suspension.

AB de Villiers played for RCB from 2011 to 2021, walking off as one of the greatest to have featured in the league's history. He was inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame as the first-ever batch alongside Chris Gayle ahead of the 2023 season, signifying his contributions to the team.

Despite a stellar career for the franchise, which reads 4491 runs with a strike rate of 158.64, the South African could not experience winning the coveted IPL title. The closest he came was when RCB qualified for the final in 2016, where they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a close contest.

Although he is not a part of the squad, he revealed that he will be present in person to extend his support to RCB in the final, if they qualify.

"Mark my words, if RCB makes it to the final, I will be there at the stadium with the boys. Nothing will give me more pleasure than to lift that trophy with Virat. I mean, we tried for many many years," de Villiers said during an Instagram Live Session.

RCB have not played an IPL final since 2016. They came close to making it to the summit clash, but were ousted by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2022 season.

RCB will face KKR to kickstart the final leg of IPL 2025 season

RCB are placed second on the standings with 16 points, second only to the Gujarat Titans (GT), on the basis of net run-rate. The Rajat Patidar-led side are just one win away from securing progress into the knockout stage of the competition.

They will face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first match of IPL 2025 after the lifting of the one-week suspension. The match is scheduled to take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 17.