IPL 2026 is only a few days away, and the crowd will be firmly behind the defending champs, RCB. One of the primary reasons for that will be ex-skipper Virat Kohli, who has played 267 matches for the team, scoring a massive 8661 runs. His former teammate AB de Villers thinks, that despite the long break from competitive cricket, the Indian legend will be at his very best.

Virat Kohli ready to roar in IPL 2026

He also praised Kohli’s work ethic, which is by far the best that de Villiers had ever seen. In fact, he also a subtle warning to all teams, as to how eager Kohli would be to perform.

“First of all, he has the best work ethic I have ever seen in my life. So, 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. I am expecting a great season from him. I can only imagine how hyped he must be after getting quite a bit of rest. Virat will most definitely be ready, there is no doubt about it, and RCB can actually go back-to-back,” de Villiers said on JioStar.

As per ABD, their success came not only because of Kohli, but with other players chipping as well. “Virat definitely is still the heartbeat of the franchise. Not only through his performances and the consistency he has achieved with the bat over the years, but also through his presence and the energy he brings to the squad. The way he conducts himself on and off the field, always fighting for the team, stands out,” he said.

Full RCB squad

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Swapnil Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Otswal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan.