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'Hopefully next year in some capacity': Virat Kohli on AB de Villiers' possible return to RCB

The second-highest overseas run-scorer in the Indian Premier League (IPL), AB de Villiers certainly left an impact on the cricket field with his innovations and ball-striking abilities. 


Along with Virat Kohli, the former South African star provided entertainment to cricket-watching audiences and built a huge fan base for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The duo holds the record for the highest partnership of 229 runs in the tournament's history.  


However, ABD retired from all forms of cricket in 2021 and wasn't seen in RCB colours this year. During a recent interaction with Danish Sait on RCB insider, Kohli reckoned that he misses the former 38-year-old cricketer and chats with him regularly. 


"I miss him a lot, I speak to him quite regularly and he keeps messaging me. He was in the US recently watching golf, Augusta Masters is what I heard it was called so he told me he was there experiencing it with his friend and family," said Virat. 


Then, the former Indian captain dropped a bombshell by revealing that ABD is keenly watching RCB's performance and can return to his beloved franchise in the next edition. Ahead of the 2022 season, there were reports of the Proteas cricketer being a mentor to the RCB team.  


"So we stay in touch and he is very keenly watching RCB, hopefully [we see him] here next year in some capacity," said the 33-year-old batter. 


Then, Sait also asked Kohli about the three ducks registered in the ongoing edition of IPL. In reply, the ex-RCB captain reckoned that he feels helpless in this situation and has seen everything in his 14-year long career. 


"First-ball ducks. After the second one (duck), I actually realized what It feels like to be like you (Mr Nags character), absolutely helpless. It hasn't happened to me ever in my career, I think. I have seen everything now. It's been so long, I have seen everything in this game," Kohli concluded. 


Although RCB has done well to secure seven victories in 12 appearances, Kohli has scored only 216 runs at a dismal average of 19.64.

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IPL 2022 | DC vs RR | Marsh's all-round brilliance helps Delhi thump Royals

Rajasthan Royals' (RR) skipper Sanju Samson's tough luck with the toss continued in match number 53 of the Indian Premier League (IPL). But unlike most times, his team failed to compensate for it with a good performance as they succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday evening at Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The Royals rode on brilliant knocks from Ravichandran Ashwin (50 off 38 deliveries) and Devdutt Padikkal (48 off 30 deliveries) to post 160/6 in 20 overs. RR got off to a disastrous start as they lost in-form Jos Buttler for a paltry 7 off 11 deliveries in just the 3rd over of the innings. The Orange Cap holder fell to Chetan Sakariya following an attempt to flick the left-arm seamer off his legs. Yashasvi Jaiswal also struggled to up the tempo, managing a run-a-ball 19 before perishing to Mitchell Marsh. The move to promote Ashwin to number three worked wonders as the stylish batsman looked at complete ease on a surface where the likes of Buttler struggled. Extra-cover drive on the up? Lofted drives? Glorious cuts? Sumptuous flicks? Upper-cut? Ashwin's knock had everything. The legendary off-spinner brought up his maiden IPL half-century with the help of 4 fours and a couple of sixes. He added 53 runs for the third wicket with Padikkal in six overs before perishing to Marsh. However, Rajasthan did not get the final flourish as Samson (6 off 4) and Riyan Parag (9 off 5) fell cheaply, while Rassie van der Dussen could only manage 12 off 10 deliveries. But, as it turned out, even if Rajasthan had got 20 more, it wouldn't have mattered given how Marsh (89 off 62 deliveries) and opener David Warner (52* off 41 deliveries) dominated their bowling attack to make a mockery of the run-chase. They did get off to a dream start to the 161-run defense, as Trent Boult dismissed Srikar Bharat for a second-ball duck. That proved to be the only thing to savour for the Rajasthan bowlers as Marsh and Warner joined forces to force their much-vaunted attack into complete submission. Whether it was the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin or the pace of Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Sen, none was spared from the fury of Marsh, who smoked as many as seven sixes and five fours during his ruthless knock. On the other hand, Warner was at his typical best, running hard between wickets and dissecting gaps. The duo added 144 runs for the second wicket in 16.5 overs before Marsh finally perished to Chahal. It made little difference, though, as skipper Rishabh Pant casually smashed two sixes in his 4-ball 13 to help his side romp to a much-needed eight-wicket win. For his brilliant all-round performance, Mitch Marsh was adjudged the 'Player of the Match'. Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 160/6 (20) R Ashwin 50 (38), Devdutt Padikkal 48 (30) Chetan Sakariya 2/23 (4), Mitchell Marsh 2/25 (3), Anrich Nortje 2/39 (4) Delhi Capitals 161/2 (18.1) Mitch Marsh 89 (62), David Warner 52* (41) Trent Boult 1/32 (4), Yuzvendra Chahal 1/43 (4) Delhi Capitals won by 8 wickets.