AB de Villiers believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru would have struggled to cross the line in the IPL 2026 final without Virat Kohli anchoring the chase. Kohli played a measured, match-defining innings as RCB overcame Gujarat Titans to retain their IPL title and lift the franchise’s second trophy overall. Although wickets fell around him during the run chase, Kohli stayed composed and built his innings steadily, finishing unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls.
Set a target of 156, RCB started brightly through opener Venkatesh Iyer. He raced to 32 off just 16 deliveries before being dismissed in the fifth over. Brought in as an Impact Player, Iyer struck four boundaries and two maximums, posting a strike rate of 200.00 in his brief stay at the crease.
After Iyer’s exit, RCB’s chase wobbled. Several batters were unable to make a meaningful contribution, with Devdutt Padikkal managing 1, Rajat Patidar scoring 15, and Krunal Pandya also failing to get going as he made 1. The pressure eased only after Tim David came to the crease.
Kohli then accelerated further, reaching his fastest-ever IPL fifty in just 25 balls. David’s 24 off 17 deliveries proved crucial in stabilising the chase, though he was removed in the 14th over, bowled by Arshad Khan. Even so, the change in tempo did not affect RCB’s momentum, as Kohli’s unbeaten 42-ball 75* helped them reach 161/5 in 18 overs. Kohli struck nine fours and three sixes in his knock, with a strike rate of 178.57.
AB de Villiers praises Kohli’s role in the chase
Speaking on JioHotstar, De Villiers—who previously shared the RCB dressing room with Kohli—said, “In a final, if you take him out of that chasing batting order, then everything looks a bit different.”
He added: “With Rashid Khan firing from one end, and some of the other GT bowlers also doing really well, he just brings that calmness. 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.”
De Villiers also pointed out how Titans’ bowling plan initially played into Kohli’s strengths. “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,” he concluded.
