Virat Kohli has squad of fighters around him, RCB can go all the way again: AB de Villiers

Mumbai: South African batting great AB de Villiers believes a "squad of fighters" will relieve the pressure on Virat Kohli, giving defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru the fuel they need to go the distance in IPL 2026.

Kohli remains a vital cog in the RCB set-up and they will look to defend their maiden title which they won last season after a long wait of 18 years.

"Virat can feel that, he can sense that he is not the only one carrying the load anymore," former RCB batter de Villiers told JioStar.


"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.

Even as Kohli has had a break since mid January, de Villiers expressed confidence that the Indian superstar would come into the IPL with adequate preparations.

"He has the best work ethic I have ever seen in my life. 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," de Villiers said.

The former South African legend expressed confidence that RCB are primed to be a consistent title-challenger now.

"You will remember him (Kohli) 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," he said.

Legendary India spinner Anil Kumble said it will not be a surprise if Kohli comes up with some new shots this IPL season.

"Don't be surprised if he comes into this season with a different outlook, perhaps trying something like the scoop shot or the reverse scoop," Kumble said.

"We have seen AB de Villiers do that consistently over the years, and Virat could add that to his batting repertoire as well. Great players like him are constantly looking to evolve, improve, and challenge themselves."