Virat Kohli runs towards AB de Villiers and hugs him affectionately after RCB's win vs PBKS in IPL 2025 final [Watch]

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli ran towards his former franchise teammate AB de Villiers and hugged him affectionately after his team's victory in the IPL 2025 final on Tuesday (June 3). RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, June 3, to lift their first IPL trophy in 18 years.

AB de Villiers played for RCB with Virat Kohli between 2011 and 2021, performing exceptionally with the bat in the middle order. He scored 4491 runs for the franchise across 144 games at an average of 41.20, including two centuries and 37 fifties, forging numerous magnificent partnerships with Kohli over the years.

He was in attendance at the Narendra Modi Stadium when RCB and Virat Kohli ended their 18-year wait to finally lift the coveted IPL trophy. After the conclusion of the match, Kohli and De Villiers ran towards each other and celebrated the memorable victory with an emotional hug.

You can watch the moment below:

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"They’ve given their heart and soul for the team till the time they’ve played"- Virat Kohli on AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle after RCB's IPL 2025 championship win

Speaking to Star Sports after the IPL 2025 final, Virat Kohli reflected on the contributions of his former teammates Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers to the franchise and was elated to reunite with them on a special night. He said:

“I’ve shared my prime years with them and I know how much were are trying to win this. And, we felt we were so close a couple of times and we were such a good team and we had that explosiveness in our team, but we could never cross the line. And all of us have that hurt because we gave our prime years to this franchise. And, really really from the bottom of our hearts, we wanted to win that title for RCB.”

Kohli added:

"And, I promise you it feels 10 times more special just because of the fact that these two are standing next to me. Because of the connection, you see when they came to Bangalore. It’s not just me, when they come you see how people love them and they’ve got absolutely berserk because they know and they appreciate. They’ve given their heart and soul for the team till the time they’ve played here and they deserve it as much I do."

The trio played together in two IPL finals in 2011 and 2016 for the Challengers but could not get their hands on the trophy.