NEW DELHI: AB de Villiers, the esteemed cricketer from South Africa, has expressed confidence in his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate, Virat Kohli, ahead of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the tournament set to commence in Chennai on Friday, de Villiers has backed Kohli to showcase his customary brilliance on the field.
Despite a hiatus of almost two months from competitive cricket, during which Kohli opted out of the recently-concluded Test series against England due to the birth of his son, Akaay, de Villiers remains assured of Kohli’s capabilities.

Highlighting Kohli’s illustrious IPL career, de Villiers lauded the Indian batting sensation’s remarkable achievements, including holding the record for the highest run-scorer in the tournament’s history. Kohli has amassed an impressive tally of 7,263 runs in 200 matches, a testament to his extraordinary talent and consistency on the cricketing stage.

De Villiers’ endorsement underscores the respect and admiration Kohli commands within the cricketing fraternity. As fans eagerly anticipate the forthcoming IPL season, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Kohli as he looks to add to his already illustrious IPL legacy with another stellar performance for RCB.
“Stalwart, King Kohli, over 7000 runs, over 200 IPL matches — but that’s simply incredible. That’s like a career in itself.

“Virat will be back. We’ve missed him dearly and absolutely cannot wait to watch the best of him this coming season,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

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De Villiers has extended his support to his fellow South African and current RCB skipper, Faf du Plessis, ahead of the upcoming IPL season. Despite acknowledging du Plessis’ recent dip in form, de Villiers remains optimistic about his teammate’s potential to deliver standout performances on the field.

While du Plessis experienced a period of inconsistency, his late resurgence during the SA20, particularly with Joburg Super Kings, has provided a glimmer of hope. De Villiers chooses to focus on the positive aspects of du Plessis’ game, emphasising his capabilities and resilience as a cricketer.

“He has had a little bit of a dip in form of late, but towards the back end of the SA20, he started finding his feet again, which boasts well for RCB this season,” he said.
De Villiers also had words of praise for RCB’s bowling attack ahead of the upcoming season.

The current RCB bowling line-up boasts of the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Reece Topley, Mohammed Siraj, Alzarri Joseph and Karn Sharma.

Also Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal, Mayank Dagar and Himanshu Sharma are some of the uncapped talents who will be eyeing to draw attention.

Among the all-rounders, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Cameron Green and Mahipal Lomror are the ones to look out for.

Praising RCB’s bowling depth, de Villiers noted, “The bowling department, led by Mohammed Siraj, plays a huge role in that bowling department,” de Villiers said.

“I think there’s very nice depth this time around, and I think that’s one of the big reasons I feel RCB is going to go all the way this year.”

RCB play their IPL 2024 opener against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on Friday.

(With PTI inputs)