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Got Me So Angry: AB de Villiers Lambasts Commentators For Excessively Criticising RCB Bowlers
Follow UsDe Villiers believed that the commentators were working with a confirmation bias since RCB’s bowling attack has been historically their weaker suit amongst the three departments
Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Punjab Kings in the last league game of the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by six wickets to end in the top two on the points table and fixed themselves a date with Punjab Kings for the Qualifier 1 scheduled in Mullanpur today, May 29.
However, their bowling conceded 227/3 in the first innings, which included an out-of-form Rishabh Pant finally finding some rhythm and scoring 118 off 61 deliveries. That made the commentators criticise the tactics, or the lack of it, by the bowling attack, which didn’t sit right with former RCB player AB de Villiers, who felt that the comments made were quite negative and failed to factor in the friendliness of the surface for batting.
“I listened to the commentators last night, and honestly, it got me so angry," de Villiers said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“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. Once again, an in-form team is starting to lose momentum.' But what about this- maybe it was just a really good batting wicket, guys? To all you very clever and sharp commentators out there, how about considering the possibility that it was an excellent surface for batting?”
The Proteas batting legend felt that the commentators were working with a confirmation bias since RCB’s bowling attack has been historically their weaker suit amongst the three departments.
"They went on about how RCB's bowling unit was once again in poor form. As I watched the match, I thought: sometimes commentators get fixated on a narrative. 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,” de Villiers remarked.
“Rishabh Pant is not going to score 118 off 60-odd balls on a tricky, very difficult pitch. All the LSG batters were fluent out there.
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.”