David Warner predicts IPL 2025 winner, chooses surprise star for final

As the IPL 2025 final draws closer, cricket fans across the globe are caught in a whirlwind of anticipation and speculation. And now, adding fuel to the fire is none other than David Warner, the 2016 IPL-winning captain, who has made a bold prophecy about this season’s champion, and it comes with a surprising twist.

A Champion Picks a New Champion

Warner, who led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their only IPL title in 2016, believes this year’s final will see a long-awaited fairytale ending for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Taking to the social media platform X, a fan asked him, “David, what do you think, who will be the champion of the Tata IPL 2025?”

Warner didn’t hesitate.

“I think RCB and Josh Hazlewood man of the match,” he replied.

The statement comes as a surprise, considering Warner’s own history with RCB. It was his blistering knock of 69 off 38 balls in the 2016 IPL final that denied Virat Kohli and his team their first-ever title. That win remains one of the most iconic moments in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s legacy.

Hazlewood Over Kohli?

While many expect Virat Kohli, the tournament’s leading run-scorer and RCB icon to deliver the goods in the final, Warner has instead placed his bets on Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood to be the match-winner. Hazlewood, known for his accuracy and composure under pressure, could be RCB’s x-factor on June 3 at the final showdown.

Warner’s prediction adds an extra layer of intrigue, especially as Kohli has often carried the hopes of RCB fans on his shoulders. But Warner’s nod to Hazlewood suggests that the final might not be just about runs, but also about breakthroughs at crucial moments.

RCB Eyeing Redemption

RCB sealed their place in the IPL 2025 final with a dominant performance over Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1. With form, momentum, and now a champion’s blessing behind them, the team appears primed to end their long and painful title drought.

Is This the Year RCB Finally Roars?
As the grand finale approaches, Warner’s words echo the sentiment of many hopeful fans: this might just be RCB’s year. Whether Hazlewood becomes the star or Kohli rewrites the ending, the prophecy has been spoken — and the cricket world is watching.