AB de Villiers has expressed confidence in Virat Kohli’s ability to make significant contributions for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
The former South African captain indicated that Kohli may showcase his vintage form in this edition. Highlighting Kohli’s impressive track record in the league, de Villiers made these remarks on his YouTube channel.
“Stalwart, King Kohli, over 7000 runs, over 200 IPL matches—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.”
Virat Kohli holds the record for the highest run tally in the IPL, amassing 7263 runs. The former RCB captain displayed excellent form last season too, scoring 639 runs in 14 matches.
De Villiers also mentioned Faf du Plessis’ recent struggles with form since the conclusion of IPL 2023. However, he emphasized that the experienced batsman has shown flashes of brilliance recently, which bodes well for Bengaluru.
He added:
“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.”
While RCB had a disappointing season last year, securing the sixth position in the points table, du Plessis had an impressive run as a batsman. He emerged as the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2023, accumulating 730 runs from 14 matches.
“There’s very nice depth this time around” – AB de Villiers thoughts on RCB’s bowling lineup
RCB has traditionally depended on their top-order stalwarts to deliver results. AB de Villiers, however, suggested a potential shift in strategy this time, emphasizing the strength of their current bowling attack.
He believes that Bengaluru possesses sufficient depth in their bowling department this year, further stating:
“The bowling department, led by Mohammed Siraj, plays a huge role in that bowling department. 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.”
De Villiers highlighted RCB’s consistent backing from fans at their home venue, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Expressing optimism for continued strong attendance this year, he remarked:
“Playing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, there’s absolutely no better ground in the world to play cricket at. It’s so loud and they get behind their team like no other fanbase. I’m pretty sure nothing will be different this season.”
RCB is set to kick off IPL 2024 in the opening match against defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, March 22nd.
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