• Home
  • Who Said What
  • I Was So Angry Ab De Villiers Hits Back At Ipl Commentators For Bashing Rcb Bowlers

"I Was So Angry": AB de Villiers Hits Back At IPL Commentators For Bashing RCB Bowlers

Soumyajit Dutta

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli [Source: @WorshipRohit/X]AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli [Source: @WorshipRohit/X]

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers condemned IPL commentators on Wednesday for their "lazy and negative" analysis of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling during their record chase against Lucknow Super Giants in the final league match of IPL 2025. 

The RCB legend, who represented the franchise for 11 seasons, expressed anger over commentators fixating on a narrative about RCB's "failing" attack instead of acknowledging the batting-friendly conditions at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, where LSG posted 228/3 and RCB chased it down in 18.4 overs.

AB de Villiers Takes A Jibe At Commentators

In a fiery critique on his YouTube channel, De Villiers revealed that the surface facilitated high scoring, evidenced by Rishabh Pant’s 118 and RCB’s successful pursuit spearheaded by Jitesh Sharma. 

"I listened to the commentators last night, and honestly, it got me so angry. They were so negative when we were bowling. They kept saying, 'RCB's bowling is under pressure. They don't look like they're going to manage it. But what about this- maybe it was just a really good batting wicket, guys?" De Villiers said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

The 40-year-old accused broadcasters of recycling lazy tropes about RCB. "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 on the field." added De Villiers.

De Villiers then continued to speak in support of RCB, while criticizing the pitch once again.

"Yes, there was some poor bowling at times. But ultimately, one must look at the bigger picture- 227 runs on a wicket that typically doesn't support such batting suggests it was simply a very good surface. RCB were still in the contest; they weren't blown away, and they proved that," De Villiers said.

While AB de Villiers’ words may hold weight due to the high-scoring thriller at Ekana on May 27, RCB will now shift their focus to the upcoming clash against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. The high-octane Qualifier 1 is scheduled to take place on May 29.