"I Don't Like It": AB De Villiers Fumes At Ashish Nehra's 'Defensive' Tactic In IPL 2026 Final vs RCB
AB de Villiers was critical of Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra over his 'defensive' move in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers was critical of Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra over his 'defensive' move in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. After GT lost the early wicket of captain Shubman Gill, Nehra decided to promote southpaw Nishant Sindhu ahead of the dangerous Jos Buttler. While De Villiers admitted that GT were trying to preserve Buttler's wicket in the high-pressure final, he also deemed the move to be 'too defensive' for his liking.
"Don't want to risk Buttler early, pushing him back. I can relate to this because I was in that position throughout my career. So, there are two sides of the story, and they have decided to go ahead with that tonight. Push Buttler back, make the batting lineup seem a bit deeper," de Villiers was heard as saying on-air.
"It's defensive, and I don't like it. Is that clear enough?" he added.
Meanwhile, defending champions RCB won the toss and opted to bowl against GT in the summit clash.
RCB, who are eyeing back-to-back titles, remained unchanged for the final while GT made one change as Arshad Khan replaced R Sai Kishore.
RCB captain expressed confidence, saying the team is focused on giving their best on match day.
Speaking during the toss, Patidar revealed RCB's plans, stating, "We'll bowl first. It's a pretty good wicket. Don't think it'll change much. A lot of memories from last year. We have to do our best to win this match. It's important to be in the present. Let's control the controllables. Always love to play at this stadium. Same team."
On the other side, Gujarat captain Shubman Gill revealed his preference for batting first, highlighting the pitch conditions and a squad change.
"We would have batted first. Typical wicket, third match we are playing here. There could be some movement for the fast bowlers in the first three overs. One of the biggest stadiums in the world. We've got one chance. Arshad (Khan) comes in for Sai (Kishore)," Gill said.
Ashish Nehra
AB de Villiers
Jos Buttler
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Gujarat Titans