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Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has opened up about his long stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, reflecting on the bond he built with the franchise and his memorable association with Virat Kohli. De Villiers, who represented RCB for 11 seasons, became one of the cornerstones of the side alongside the likes of Kohli and Chris Gayle. Despite his best efforts, an IPL title eluded him during his playing years, with the franchise lifting its maiden crown only in 2025, after his retirement. Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, de Villiers explained how he instantly felt at home after moving to RCB from Delhi. “I don’t know what it is. I think I just—I was accepted and backed. I didn’t feel that way at Delhi (Daredevils) in the first three years, in and out of the side. No one’s fault, I hadn’t proven myself at that time yet. So it was completely normal for the coach to sort of jump, make me play around and in and out,” he recalled. “But I think I arrived at RCB and I was told, ‘You’re going to play. You’re one of our main dudes here. We don’t care what’s happened in the past. You’re our main guy.’ And like, okay, cool. And that sort of immediately… players are insecure, you know. We feel insecure sometimes, we want to feel like we’re backed. And I think that’s the main thing—I felt backed. Beautiful city obviously, great stadium, nice field to play on as a batter more often than not. So I just—I mean, it just fitted, just worked from the start.” The South African also reflected on his prolific partnership with Kohli, with whom he shares two record-breaking stands in the IPL. “We played the game in a similar way. We are very busy at the crease, run hard, really look to get behind what the bowlers are trying to do, and find a way to attack the bowlers,” he said.
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Recalling their highest moments together, he added: “There were two partnerships with him, one at the Wankhede and one at the Chinnaswamy, both were day games. Both of us were in the form of our lives. That always helps. I just love batting with him. He is very competitive like me, and we love taking bowlers down. It was nice to have that experience with him in front of a loud crowd, it was incredible.”
