- By Namrata Vijay
- Tue, 03 Jun 2025 07:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
RCB vs PBKS IPL 2025 Final: Ex-India and Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu made a bold prediction by coming in support of Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of their IPL 2025 summit clash against Punjab Kings. Rayaudu emphasized the intense rivalry that exists between the South Indian teams in the ongoing tournament and has picked RCB to lift their maiden title in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Both RCB and PBKS will aim to end their 18-year-old title drought as both of them haven't won the elusive trophy ever since the tournament began. The Rajat Patidar-led side has qualified for the summit clash thrice but hasn't lifted the title once.
"There has always been an amazing cricketing rivalry between the three great southern cities... I think it’s time for the great city of Bangalore to win their first-ever IPL trophy tonight, which they truly deserve this season... Go RCB... bring it home," Rayudu had written on his official X account.
Rayudu supporting RCB before the upcoming summit clash surprised everyone since he is a die-hard CSK fan. During the last few years, he has slammed RCB for their independence on star batter Virat Kohli. When they had beaten CSK during a nail-biting thriller in their backyard and qualified for the playoffs last year, Rayudu slammed RCB for celebrating wildly.
But during the ongoing season, he had lauded the Rajat Patidar-led side for playing aggressively. They qualified for the playoffs by finishing in the second position in the points table.
The Rajat Patidar-led side defeated the same opponent during the second qualifier in Mullanpur by skittling out the host for just 101 runs, which was the second-lowest total in the history of the playoffs. They chased down the target quite comprehensively in just 10 overs, on the back of a match-winning half-century by Phil Salt.
The star opener would be featuring in the summit clash after going back to England for a short while to spend time with his family.
The focus will be on star batter Virat Kohli, who will be playing during his fourth IPL summit clash. He suffered a heartbreaking loss way back in 2016, when they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad, even though he had scored 973 runs that year, it was a feat, that hasn't been achieved yet.