As the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League nears its start, former South African great AB de Villiers has showered praise on Virat Kohli and backed champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru to defend the title. Having spent his entire IPL career with Bengaluru, Kohli has been the cornerstone of RCB's setup. With 18 seasons already behind him and preparations underway for his 19th campaign, Kohli remains the face of the franchise. 

He continues to hold the record as the IPL’s highest run-scorer, amassing an astonishing 8,661 runs in 267 matches. The 2025 season marked a historic breakthrough for RCB, as they clinched their maiden IPL trophy after. For Kohli, it was a long-awaited moment of victory, having stayed the course through highs and lows. De Villiers opined that RCB can defend their title and pointed out that unlike previous years, when the team often depended heavily on a few star performers, their title-winning campaign was built on collective contributions.

"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," De Villiers said while speaking to JioStar.

Lauding Virat Kohli, De Villiers underlined that RCB have now built the kind of momentum that could carry them to back-to-back titles.

"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," he said.

"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.