‘Virat Kohli needs to captain…’: Ab de Villiers drops major statement ahead of RCB vs KKR IPL 2025 opener

Indian Premier League season 18 is all set to begin with the opening match between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 22 March. With Virat Kohli continuing to play a pivotal role for RCB, the franchise continues to enjoy a huge fan following despite not winning a single trophy so far.

Ahead of RCB's first match, former franchise player Ab de Villiers spoke about the role of Virat Kohli and his likely opening partner Phil Salt in the team's success this season.

Speaking on JioStar Press Room, De Villiers said, "Virat seems to be enjoying his cricket. I don't think he's going to have to up his strike rate batting with Phil Salt,"

"Salt is one of the most attacking players we've ever seen. I think he's going to take a lot of pressure off Virat. Virat needs to continue what he's been doing for so many years...control the game, play smart cricket. He's got the best instinct of any player out there. He knows when to up the ante a bit and when to lower it," the former South African batter added.

Virat Kohli needs to lead RCB batting

While RCB have a new captain in Rajat Patidar, De Villiers believes Kohli still has a massive role to play in ensuring there are no batting collapses, essentially captaining the batting department.

"Virat needs to be the captain of the batting department in this tournament and really just keep things together, play smart cricket to make sure they don't find those collapses in the batting order."De Villiers stated.

Kohli has been a part of RCB since the inception of the league in 2008 and has played in all seasons for the RCB. The veteran batsman's popularity is such that he often fills the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Benglauru with people queuing up to watch him play.

The veteran batsman captained the franchise in the past, but has refrained from doing so in recent years. RCB were led by Faf du Plessis last year but have made Rajat Patidar the skipper for the IPL 2025 season.