AB de Villiers Just Happy To Be in IPL Final, Says RCB Have Been Special
AB de Villiers played a stellar role in taking RCB to their third IPL final. The South African's 79 not out off 47 balls helped Bangalore script a stunning victory from the jaws of defeat vs Gujarat Lions
Highlights
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De Villiers said he is honoured and privileged to be part of IPL 9 final
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He smashed 79 not out off 47 balls in Qualifier 1
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RCB beat Gujarat by 4 wickets to enter their third IPL final
AB de Villiers has played in very few finals of a tournament and he feels "honoured and privileged" to be featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) summit clash after guiding Royal Challengers Bangalore to a four-wicket win over Gujarat Lions in Qualifier 1.
De Villiers played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 79 against the Lions on Tuesday night to pilot RCB into the IPL final to be played in Bengaluru on Sunday.
"To be in IPL final means a lot to me and I have not played in a lot of finals throughout my career. It is a great honour and privilege to be in the finals with this great franchise which has looked after me and the team over the years," de Villiers said at the post-match press conference.
"Lot of people were saying we were under performing but moments like this makes things worthwhile. We had a great team spirit for some years now, and have played some good cricket.
"But never got to really enjoy the finals and hopefully we will win it but we don't know what's going to happen," he added.
Chasing 159 for a win, RCB looked down and out at 29 for five wickets, with Dhawal Kulkarni grabbing four of them. De Villiers smashed 79 not out off 47 balls to script a sensational comeback and take his team home in 18.2 overs.
Asked about the victory over Gujarat, de Villiers said, "Kulkarni bowled a fantastic spell and lot of credit is going to go to him. He basically had the game in their (Lions') pockets.
"But like Zaheer Khan (his former RCB teammate) always tells me it is a funny little game and you are never out of it. So, we always had belief in the back of our minds. They almost won the game in powerplay and we just kept fighting, kept fighting," he said.
De Villiers said he is more concerned about helping the team than worrying about personal stats.
"I always say it. I honestly don't give a damn about any stats. I don't think about my hundreds or fifties. It was special for me to get the team over the line for and win the match. That is why I play this game," he said.