Mumbai, March 18 South African batting great AB de Villiers believes that a "team of fighters" will relieve the pressure on Virat Kohli, giving the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the fuel they need to go all the way in IPL 2026.
Kohli remains a vital part of the RCB team, and they will aim 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 no longer the only one carrying the burden," former RCB batter de Villiers told JioStar.
"He has a team of fighters around him, all eager to win the trophy. I think they are in a really good position. It's a similar team; they don't need to make many changes, and they have good reason to believe they can win again this season," he added.
Even though Kohli has been resting since mid-January, de Villiers expressed confidence that the Indian superstar would come into the IPL with adequate preparation.
"He has the best work ethic I have ever seen. He will not come into the tournament unprepared. If he doesn't perform well, it will be purely down to form or maybe a technical error," de Villiers said.
The former South African legend expressed confidence that RCB are now well-positioned to be consistent title contenders.
"You will remember him (Kohli) often talking in the dressing room, 'If we can win one, we will win two or three quickly.' I truly believe that. I feel RCB are now in that zone where they can achieve great success... perhaps winning two or three trophies in a row," he said.
Legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble said it would not be surprising if Kohli came up with some new shots in this IPL season.
"Don't be surprised if he comes into this season with a different approach, 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 also add that to his batting repertoire. Great players like him are constantly looking to evolve, improve, and challenge themselves."