‘Virat Kohli has a squad of fighters around him in RCB’ – AB de Villiers ahead of IPL 2026 | CricTracker

Legendary cricketer AB de Villiers believes the modern-day Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side is a lot more than just Virat Kohli and 10 other players in the team.

De Villiers has credited the entire team’s role as RCB secured their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2025. He also acknowledged contributions made by the likes of Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone and Rajat Patidar in the mega finale to help their side win. The showpiece game was the evidence that RCB are a lot bigger than just Kohli, which is something the former captain would also appreciate heading into 2026.

“The final is a great example, with Virat scoring 43 runs off 35 balls. But it was actually Patidar, Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd who scored at a high strike rate and helped the team post 190-plus, ultimately winning the game. Krunal Pandya also chipped in with the ball,” de Villiers said via JioStar.

“That’s my point, players contributing like that throughout the season, and the bowling attack stepping up. Virat can feel that, he can sense that he is not the only one carrying the load anymore. He has a squad of fighters around him, all gunning to win the trophy. I think they are in a really good place. It’s a similar squad, they didn’t have to change much, and they have good reason to believe they can go all the way again this coming season,” he added.

Virat Kohli has the best work ethic I have ever seen in my life: de Villiers

RCB are amongst the favourites to retain the IPL title in 2026 based on their form last season and keeping the same core of players for the new season. However, Kohli’s form will still remain the main key to their success this time around. The 37-year-old, however, has not played a professional game since mid-January when India played New Zealand in an ODI series.

De Villiers, though, is not too concerned by Kohli’s lack of game time ahead of the IPL. The former RCB player fully believes that the New Delhi-born will be fully prepared and ready to lead his side to back-to-back titles in 2026.

“First of all, he has the best work ethic I have ever seen in my life. So, he will not come into the tournament undercooked. If he doesn’t play well, it will purely be down to form or maybe a technical error. I am expecting a great season from him. I can only imagine how hyped he must be after getting quite a bit of rest,” the former South Africa cricketer said.

“Virat will most definitely be ready, there is no doubt about it, and RCB can actually go back-to-back. You will remember him speaking about it often in the dressing room, ‘If we can win one, we are going to win two, three, four quickly.’ I truly believe that. I feel RCB are in that zone now where they can go bang, bang, bang, perhaps two or three trophies in a row, who knows. I am just hoping for a really good start this season, I think that will be important for them. My advice to Virat would be to just go out there and enjoy,” de Villiers added.

Outside of the IPL, Kohli is only active in 50-over cricket. In his last 10 games in the format, he has scored four centuries and registered one score in the 90s. This included two back-to-back hundreds against South Africa towards the backend of 2025 and another one against New Zealand in January. He also scored a magnificent century for Delhi against Andhra Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26.

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