'He Was Outstanding Last Season': Ex-Cricketer Feels Winning IPL Will Add Perfect 'Finishing' Touch To Virat Kohli's Career

Indian Premier League 2025: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli has won almost every prestigious trophy in cricket, but he is yet to get his hands on the Indian Premier League. Kohli is known for his loyalty towards the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the T20 tournament as he is the only cricketer to represent only franchise across all the IPL seasons. The legendary cricketer has rewritten many records in T20 cricket with the Bengaluru-based franchise,

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Former Cricketer Wants To Virat Kohli To Win IPL

In an exclusive series on JioHotstar, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers shared insights on Kohli's career and said that it was great for the RCB loyalist to come out of his comfort zone and try new shots. The former cricketer added that Kohli winning the silverware in IPL would be perfect in his phenomenal career.

ABD also lauded the 36-year-old for being 'outstanding' in the 2024 season of the IPL. In the 17th season of the T20 tournament, Kohli played 15 matches, scoring 741 runs at a strike rate of 154.70. He smashed one century and 5 fifties in the season. He was also the orange cap holder in IPL 2024.

“It’s great to see him stepping out of his comfort zone, trying new shots, and exploring different aspects of his game. He’s always had that ability in him. You can see how much it means to him. Winning the IPL with RCB would be the perfect finishing touch to his already phenomenal career. He was outstanding last season. His strike rate wasn’t the problem—he played exactly the role his team needed him to. Unlike someone like Fraser McGurk for Delhi Capitals, Virat had the responsibility of holding the innings together. He deserves full credit for playing a crucial role in RCB’s qualification,” AB de Villiers told JioHotstar.

In IPL 2024, RCB's run came to an end in the playoffs when the franchise conceded a four-wicket defeat to the Rajasthan Royals. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will kick off their voyage in IPL 2025 against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 22 in the opening fixture of the season.

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Records Hold By Virat Kohli In IPL

After making his debut in the cash-rich tournament in 2008, he has played 252 matches and scored a whopping 8004 runs at a strike rate of 131.97 and an average of 38.67. He slammed eight centuries and 55 fifties with the franchise. His highest score in IPL is 113, which came against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the 2016 season. The 36-year-old has slammed 705 fours and 272 sixes in the tournament.

Out of several records in the T20 tournament, Kohli holds the record of the highest run scorer in IPL. Apart from that, he has smashed the most centuries and runs in a single IPL season.