AB de Villiers predicts IPL 2025 semifinalists

On March 22, the eagerly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will get underway, with ten teams once again prepared to compete for the coveted gold in a two-month-long competition. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) veteran and former South African captain AB de Villiers has made predictions on which four teams he thinks would qualify for the playoffs this year.

AB de Villiers selected the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), RCB, and Gujarat Titans (GT) as his IPL 2025 playoff picks. He supported these teams’ ability to have a big impact on the competition by mentioning their balance.

The Mumbai Indians have a chance to make it to the playoffs. I firmly believe that RCB will make it to the playoffs this time around. Since the squad is in a tight spot right now and the Gujarat Titans are a potential playoff contender as well. The defending champion, KKR, will likely be in the playoff battle and have a chance to qualify, in my opinion. “These four teams are my picks to make it to the playoffs,” De Villiers posted on his YouTube account.

AB de Villiers forecast caused a lot of controversy because he left out the five-time IPL winner Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

In the IPL 2024, CSK, under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, lost a game that was crucial to their chances of making the playoffs to RCB. Even though De Villiers acknowledged CSK’s superiority, he maintained his selections because he thought the four clubs he chose had the best chance of winning.

“I haven’t retained CSK, yes. CSK supporters might be sad, but this is a good club, and I will only pick these four teams,” he continued.

On March 22, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, KKR will play RCB in the tournament’s opening match. Due to a sluggish over-rate offense from the previous season, Hardik Pandya will miss the opening game, but Suryakumar Yadav will captain the Mumbai Indians once again. Ajinkya Rahane has been named the new captain of KKR after Shreyas Iyer was released, while Gujarat Titans will continue to be led by Shubman Gill. In the meantime, as they attempt to end their title drought, RCB has selected Rajat Patidar as captain.