Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans around the world have their eyes set on their superstar Virat Kohli as the Indian Premier League (IPL) season is all set to kick off. Former South African captain AB de Villiers has expressed his confidence in Kohli's ability to perform well for his team RCB.
Virat Kohli's staggering IPL track record
Kohli boasts an impressive IPL record, currently leading the chart as league's all-time leading run scorer with a staggering 7263 runs under his belt. He maintains a consistent average of 37.24 and an aggressive strike rate of 130.02. Kohli's dominance is further cemented by his record-breaking seven centuries – the most by any batter in IPL history – and a collection of 50 half-centuries. Last season, despite RCB failing to make it to the playoffs, Kohli displayed flashes of his brilliance, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer with a remarkable 639 runs. His average of 53.25 and strike rate of 139.82 included two centuries and six fifties.
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AB De Villiers roots for Virat Kohli to go all guns blazing in IPL 2024
With AB de Villiers backing him and a strong performance last season, all signs point towards a promising IPL 2024 for Kohli.
"Stalwart, King Kohli, over 7000 runs, over 200 IPL matches--that is simply incredible. That is like a career in itself. Virat will be back. We have missed him dearly, and absolutely cannot wait to watch the best of him this coming season," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers reveals big reason why RCB can lift IPL 2024 title
RCB fans can expect a fiery display from their pace attack. The team boasts a lethal combination of international talent including Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, West Indies' Alzarri Joseph, and England's Reece Topley. They'll be joined by promising Indian bowlers Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak, rounding out a well-balanced bowling unit.
"The bowling department, led by Mohammed Siraj, plays a huge role. I think there's very nice depth this time around, and I think that is one of the big reasons I feel RCB is going to go all the way this year," De Villiers further said.
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While acknowledging Du Plessis' recent slump in form, De Villiers also highlighted the South African batter's impressive comeback with the Johannesburg Super Kings in SA20 season 2. Du Plessis found his scoring touch again in the later stages of the tournament.
"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," De Villiers concluded.
The highly anticipated 17th edition of the IPL will get underway from March 22 with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on Faf Du Plessis-led RCB in a thrilling South Indian derby in glitzy league's opener at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
RCB Team's Full Squad IPL 2024
| Wicketkeepers | Batters | All-rounders | Bowlers |
| Anuj Rawat | Faf du Plessis (SA) | Mahipal Lomror | Akash Deep |
| Dinesh Karthik | Virat Kohli | Glenn Maxwell (AUS) | Mohammed Siraj |
| Rajat Patidar | Manoj Bhandage | Karn Sharma | |
| Suyash Prabhudessai | Tom Curran (ENG) | Rajan Kumar | |
| Saurav Chauhan | Swapnil Singh | Reece Topley (ENG) | |
| Will Jacks (ENG) | Himanshu Sharma | ||
| Cameron Green (AUS) | Alzarri Joseph (WI) | ||
| Lockie Ferguson (NZ) | |||
| Yash Dayal | |||
| Vijaykumar Vyshak | |||
| Mayank Dagar |
RCB's schedule for IPL 2024's first leg:
RCB vs Chennai Super Kings - March 22 - Chennai - 7:30 PM IST
RCB vs Punjab Kings - March 25 - Bengaluru - 7:30 PM IST
RCB vs Kolkata Knight Riders - March 29 - Bengaluru - 7:30 PM IST
RCB vs Lucknow Super Giants - April 2 - Bengaluru - 7:30 PM IST
RCB vs Rajasthan Royals - April 6 - Jaipur - 7:30 PM IST
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