Ambati Rayudu, a former cricket player for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India, made a surprising U-turn by endorsing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for their IPL title victory. Rayudu has given RCB the support they need to win the coveted trophy when they play Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 Finals on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The Guntoor native congratulated RCB on making it to the finals and subsequently taking home the trophy on his ‘X’ (previously Twitter) profile. Rayudu, who won three seasons with both CSK and MI, has been outspoken about his dislike for the team, therefore this statement has shocked RCB supporters.
Ambati Rayudu went on to say that RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, deserved to win the trophy this season and their first championship.
“The three major southern cities have always had an incredible cricketing rivalry. The beautiful city of Bangalore deserves to win their first IPL trophy this season, and I believe it’s time for them to do so tonight. Bring it home, RCB,” he wrote.
There has always been an amazing cricketing rivalry between the 3 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 to this season.. Go RCB.. bring it home..
— ATR (@RayuduAmbati) June 3, 2025
The Rajat Patidar-led team began their campaign by defeating the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener on March 22 at the Eden Gardens, setting the stage for RCB’s journey to the grand finale. They were the first team to guarantee their spot in the playoffs after going undefeated in all of their road games and recovering well from a weak start at home.
With 614 runs from 14 innings at an average of 55.81 and a strike-rate of 146.53, Virat Kohli has been the team’s best batsman. In addition, the star opener leads all batters in the competition with eight half-centuries this season. If RCB want to win the cup, he will once more be the key to their success.
Conversely, Australian sensation Josh Hazlewood has been their finest bowler. Despite just playing in 11 games thus far, the seasoned right-arm fast has taken 21 wickets. This season, his bowling has helped the team win numerous times on his alone. In the final match, he will take the pitch once more to demonstrate his value against the Punjab Kings.
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