IPL 2025: De Villiers predicts teams to qualify for playoffs
What's the story
Former South African captain and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legend AB de Villiers has revealed his picks for the IPL 2025 playoff contenders.
The tournament kicks off on March 22, featuring 10 franchises battling for the prestigious title over two months.
De Villiers has named four teams he thinks are strong playoff contenders including the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Here are further details.
Team assessment
De Villiers praises teams' balance and potential
De Villiers predicted KKR, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, and RCB as semifinalists.
He praised their balance and potential, expressing confidence in their impact on the tournament.
"I think Mumbai Indians can reach the playoffs. I definitely think RCB will also reach the playoffs this time because the team is in balance," he revealed on his YouTube channel.
"Gujarat Titans is also a contender for the playoffs" and "defending champion KKR will also be in playoff race," he further added.
CSK exclusion
De Villiers excludes CSK from his predictions
One of the most shocking elements of De Villiers's predictions was his choice to leave out the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Despite being five-time IPL champions, CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2024 under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
De Villiers admitted CSK's strength but remained firm on his picks.
"Yes, I have not kept CSK. It is a strong team, CSK fans may be disappointed, but I will go with these four teams only," he stated.
SRH exclusion
RCB icon leaves out 2024 IPL finalists SRH from predictions
One other shocking thing from ABD's predictions comes in the form of him leaving out the 2024 IPL finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Although SRH had a great 2024 season, they fell short in the finals losing to KKR. This year the squad is led by the Aussie skipper Pat Cummins.
Meanwhile, the squad features big names including Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klassen among others.