De Villiers says winning the IPL for RCB will be perfect finishing touch for Virat Kohli

• Kohli Now “Trying More Shots”
• Kohli IPL’s Highest Run Scorer

RCB and Kohli have not won an IPL title yet after 16 years despite reaching the final on three occasions, in 2009, 2011 and 2016. Kohli was captain for the 2016 edition, which also featured Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers in arguably RCB’s strongest squad till date.

Kohli Now “Trying More Shots”

De Villiers said that he was glad to see Kohli trying more shots and exploring different areas to score runs. Kohli has now added several strokes to his repertoire, including the sweep and slog sweep.

"It's great to see him stepping out of his comfort zone, trying new shots, and exploring different aspects of his game. He's always had that ability in him. You can see how much it means to him. Winning the IPL with RCB would be the perfect finishing touch to his already phenomenal career," De Villiers said in an episode on JioHotstar.

"He was outstanding last season. His strike rate wasn't the problem - he played exactly the role his team needed him to. Unlike someone like Fraser McGurk for Delhi Capitals, Virat had the responsibility of holding the innings together. He deserves full credit for playing a crucial role in RCB's qualification,” he said.

Kohli IPL’s Highest Run Scorer

Kohli has scored 8,004 runs in IPL cricket, the only batter to have crossed 8000 runs. He has scored eight hundreds and 55 fifties in a glittering career at an average of close to 40. He has even led the team in 140 matches, in the period from 2013 to 2021.

"The scrutiny over Virat's strike rate was absolutely ridiculous. He had done exactly what his team needed from him. It's all about the situation. When he has someone at the other end he trusts, you see him experiment and play with more freedom. But when that's not the case, he stays true to his natural game -anchoring the innings when needed,” de Villiers said.

This year, RCB will be led by Rajat Patidar, who was retained by the franchise. RCB begin their 2025 IPL campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 22 at Eden Gardens.