"I just hope and pray it's not this year" - Former CSK player's cheeky comment on RCB's title hopes ahead of IPL 2025 [Watch]

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Ambati Rayudu has made a cheeky comment on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s chances ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. In a video doing the rounds on X, the cricketer-turned-commentator wished for the Bengaluru-based side to win a trophy, but not in 2025.

The remarks came weeks after RCB appointed Rajat Patidar as their new captain for the upcoming season. The franchise will be searching for their first title in the 18th edition of the T20 league, starting March 22.

In the viral clip, Rayudu said (via Sports Tak):

“I feel it's a matter of time, they (RCB) will get the trophy. But definitely, I just hope and pray that year doesn't come (laughs).”

RCB will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the season opener on March 22.

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“He made mistakes” – Ambati Rayudu opens up on Virat Kohli and being sidelined from 2019 World Cup

Ambati Rayudu further opened up about being ignored for the 2019 World Cup. His remarks came in response to former India batter Robin Uthappa's recent comments. Uthappa had claimed that then-captain Virat Kohli was one of the reasons why Rayudu failed to make it to the India squad for the 50-over World Cup in 2019.

In the aforementioned conversation, Rayudu said:

“What Uthappa mentioned was that during his captaincy, he (Kohli) made mistakes. It's not about preferences, but it's about logic, which may have been, at that point in time, not the right thing to do.”

The six-time IPL champion added that Kohli backed him during his career in international cricket:

“What Uthappa was trying to say is that Kohli has strong likes and dislikes. But in my case, Kohli was the one who backed me. He liked me. When I was there at his captaincy, we played many games for India.”

Here’s what Uthappa said earlier this year about Rayudu’s absence from the 2019 World Cup squad. The 39-year-old told Lallantop (via Hindustan Times):

“If he (Virat Kohli) didn't like anyone, he didn't feel someone was good, then they were cut. (Ambati) Rayudu is the prime example. You feel bad. Everybody has preferences, I agree, but you cannot close the door on a player after taking him to the cusp."

"He had World Cup clothes and a World Cup kit bag; everything was there at his home. A player would be thinking that he is going to the World Cup. But you shut the door on him. That wasn't fair according to me,” Uthappa added.

Rayudu has won six IPL trophies, three each with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and CSK.