The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are now one step away from winning their elusive maiden Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) title after they sealed a final berth, outclassing Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Qualifier 1 comprehensively by eight wickets. In the process, the Bengaluru outfit reached an IPL final after nine long years, having last played in 2016.
Following the win, former RCB and Proteas great AB de Villiers shared a special message for the franchise and its fans. Interestingly, de Villiers also highlighted how Virat Kohli has urged him not to use a certain phrase in order to not jinx their chances.
Speaking on the ESPN Cricinfo show, AB said, “The time has come. RCB is going all the way. I am not allowed to say the Bengaluru terms (Ee Saala Cup Naam De) because of Virat (Kohli). He told me that I am not allowed to say that anymore, but I truly believe we are going all the way this season. So stay tuned, buckle up and enjoy the ride.”
Watch the message below.
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Speaking about the PBKS vs RCB game, the Bengaluru outfit absolutely dominated Punjab in a one-sided affair to take home the win. After putting PBKS to bat first, RCB bowlers made inroads right from the start to dismantle the opponents for a trivial 101 in 14.1 overs. Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma were the star performers with the ball, finishing with three wickets each.
Coming to the chase, while PBKS did manage to get Virat Kohli cheaply for 12 in the fourth over and then Mayank Agarwal for 19 in the eight over, Phil Salt single-handedly took away the game from Punjab Kings. The England wicketkeeper-batter slammed a quickfire fifty and remained unbeaten on 56* off 27 to take RCB over the finishing line.
PBKS will now face the winner of the Eliminator clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 and get a second attempt at qualifying for the final.
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