AB de Villiers' stormy batting overshadowed India Champions. In the 6th match of WCL 2025 played in Northampton, de Villiers remained unbeaten on 61 runs, helping South Africa Champions reach a formidable score of 206.
South Africa Champions vs India Champions: In the sixth match of the World Champions League (WCL) 2024, AB de Villiers' explosive batting thrilled the audience, and South Africa Champions defeated India Champions by 88 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. With this victory, the South African team has moved bly ahead in the points table, while India Champions have reached the bottom spot.
AB De Villiers' Explosive Batting
The main highlight of the match was AB de Villiers' sensational innings. He scored an unbeaten 61 runs off just 30 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes. His strike rate of 203.33 is further proof of his impact in this format. ABD forced the audience to sway with his shots all around the ground and disregarded the India Champions' bowlers.
The match was played at the Northampton ground. India Champions won the toss and decided to bowl first, which proved costly for them. Batting first, South Africa Champions scored 206 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Due to rain, India Champions received a revised target of 200 runs in 18.2 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis method, but the team could only manage a score of 111/9.
South Africa's Strong Start
South Africa Champions' innings was started aggressively by Hashim Amla (22) and Jacques Rudolph (24), who added 35 runs for the first wicket. After this, Piyush Chawla and Yusuf Pathan's bowling gave the team some breakthroughs. Sarel Erwee (0) was bowled by Yusuf Pathan, while Duminy, Parnell, and J.J. Smuts also made small but useful contributions. Morne van Wyk (18)* remained unbeaten till the end.
India Champions' Stuttering Batting
Chasing a big target of 206 runs, India Champions had a very poor start. The team lost its four major wickets within 28 runs:
- Robin Uthappa (2)
- Shikhar Dhawan (1)
- Suresh Raina (16)
- Ambati Rayudu (0)
The team's batting appeared completely scattered. Stuart Binny (37)* kept fighting alone, but he did not get any stable support from the other end. Among the other batsmen, Yusuf Pathan (5), Irfan Pathan (10), Piyush Chawla (9) and Vinay Kumar (13) also flopped. India Champions' decision to bowl first backfired.
It seemed easy to score runs on the pitch, and South Africa's batsmen took full advantage of this. From India Champions' side, Piyush Chawla and Yusuf Pathan took two wickets each, while Abhimanyu Mithun took one wicket.
