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RCB legend AB de Villiers expressed his fierce disappointment over commentary during RCB’s matches during the IPL 2025 season ahead of his former team’s Qualifier 1 clash against the Gujarat Titans this evening.
In a fierce attack on IPL commentators, the South African called their criticism of the team's bowling "lazy," "negative," and infuriating.
In particular, he reacted strongly to commentary during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's final league match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), accusing commentators of unfairly targeting RCB's bowlers without considering the match conditions.
Anger Over "Lazy" Commentary
"I listened to the commentators last night, and honestly, it got me so angry," de Villiers stated on his YouTube channel a day following the match.
"They were so negative when we were bowling." He highlighted how commentators repeatedly claimed RCB's bowling was "under pressure" and failing, predicting a loss of momentum.
De Villiers argued that this ignored the reality of a flat batting pitch at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium despite the fact that LSG scored 228/3, powered by Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 118 off 61 balls.
"To all you very clever and sharp commentators out there, how about considering the possibility that it was an excellent surface for batting?" he challenged. "Rishabh Pant is not going to score 118 off 60-odd balls on a tricky, very difficult pitch."
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Fixing a Narrative & The Comeback
The former South Africa captain accused commentators of being fixated on RCB's historical lack of an IPL title. "Sometimes commentators get fixated on a narrative. Yes, RCB have never won a title, but it’s lazy to keep saying, 'Here we go again. The bowlers are failing, they’re useless,' without properly analysing what’s happening."
He stressed RCB remained competitive despite the high total and proved it by chasing down 228 runs in just 18.4 overs, winning by six wickets, with contributions coming from Virat Kohli (54) and stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma (85*).
Qualifier Showdown
The victory secured RCB a top-two finish for the first time since 2016 and a spot in Qualifier 1. Bengaluru will now face the Gujarat Titans (GT) today (May 29), with two chances to reach the final as they chase their first IPL championship.
