South Africa legend AB de Villiers heaped praise on Virat Kohli after the latter guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their second IPL title on Sunday against Gujarat Titans. Chasing 156 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, RCB found themselves in trouble after losing wickets in quick succession. However, Kohli held firm, remaining unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, as he steered the team to victory with two overs to spare and five wickets in hand. With this victory, RCB clinched the IPL 2026 trophy and successfully defended their title.

De Villiers, Kohli’s former teammate and opening partner at RCB, lauded the right-hander’s match-winning innings in the final, and also spoke about Shubman Gill and Co’s poor strategy with the ball.

“He knows how to pace a chase right through the innings and finish it off. And it’s very fitting that he was there right at the end, scoring the winning runs. GT were a bit naughty in feeding him into his strengths.

“A lot of deliveries were on the legs in his first 20-30 runs. If you give one of the best players of all time a start like that, he’s always going to punish you. Once he started flowing, it was just plain sailing, one-way traffic. To be there at the end and call those final moments was absolutely phenomenal,” said de Villiers on JioHotstar.

Kohli will be next seen in action when India take on Afghanistan in a three-game ODI series starting on June 13 in Dharamshala. De Villiers also lauded RCB’s composure and confidence in sealing back-to-back title wins. “It was a lot easier than last year, that’s for sure. Last year was emotional, and we weren’t sure what was going to happen.

“This year, when I saw Virat before the start of the game, there was quiet confidence. We’ve been here before, we know how it works and what the formula is. And what a remarkable achievement, back-to-back champions. I couldn’t be prouder,” he added.

(With IANS Inputs)

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