Virat Kohli Celebrates IPL Victory with AB de Villiers: A Tribute to Friendship and Legacy
A Special Bond Between Kohli and de Villiers
Virat Kohli has maintained a strong friendship with South African cricket icon AB de Villiers since their time together at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Following RCB's triumphant journey to the finals, AB made a trip to Ahmedabad to cheer on his former team. Despite being labeled a bad omen for RCB in the past, it was under his watchful eye that Rajat Patidar and his teammates finally broke an 18-year drought, clinching their first league title. After the victory, Kohli embraced AB and invited him to join the celebration on stage with the team.
In a post-match interview, Kohli reminisced about the memorable moments he shared with AB, reflecting on their efforts to secure a championship title. He acknowledged AB's impressive record of Player-of-the-Match awards, stating,
“I have spent my prime years with them. I know how much we tried to win this. We were so close a couple of times, and we were such a good team; we had the explosiveness, but we could never cross the line. We gave our prime years to this franchise.”
Kohli further expressed,
“What he (AB de Villiers) has done for this franchise is absolutely tremendous, and I told him that before the game as well that this one is as much yours as it is ours. I want you to celebrate with us when we lift that trophy by the end of the night because what he has done for RCB is so very special. He’s still got the maximum number of Man of the Match awards, and he has been retired for four years now. What he means to the people of Bangalore, to this team, and to this franchise is something that I can't describe in words, so as I said, he deserves to be on that podium with all of us lifting that cup tonight.”
After the match, Kohli shared a photo with his longtime friend, proudly holding the trophy, captioning it with a heartfelt message:
"Equally yours, biscotti."
The term 'biscotti' is a cherished nickname they use for each other. Notably, AB de Villiers holds the record for the most Player of the Match awards in IPL history, with a total of 25, followed closely by Chris Gayle, who has received 22.