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One of them had retired from professional cricket long ago. But his relationship with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) legend Virat Kohli is impeccable. Moments before the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Virat Kohli was seen with his friend and former teammate AB de Villiers.
While Virat Kohli is a part of the Gujarat Titans vs Royal Challengers (GT vs RCB) IPL 2026 final match, the former South African batsman is at the venue as a commentator. Before the match, when the players were on the field for last-minute preparations, Kohli and Villars were seen sharing an emotional moment. Both were engaged in friendly conversation.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers share a special moment on the field
Despite the pressure of the IPL 2026 final, Virat Kohli was smiling and explaining something to his friend. AB de Villiers also looked happy on the lush green grounds of the biggest stadium on the planet.
In 2025, when Royal Challengers Bangalore tasted the moment of winning the trophy for the first time, AB de Villiers was right outside the playing field, waiting for the long-awaited moment. As the last ball of the IPL 2025 final was bowled and RCB was crowned the winner, Virat Kohli jumped with joy along with his friend AB de Villiers.
Kohli with his biscotti AB pic.twitter.com/dsLptQJPK3
– Satyam (@noontonightt) May 31, 2026
For RCB fans, both of them are legends, and should be considered legends, because during their days, when they played together for Royal Challengers Bangalore, they gave cricket fans many memorable partnerships.
Another milestone match for Virat
Tonight’s IPL final is another milestone for Virat Kohli. He is the only batsman in the league to have scored 9 centuries in the 5 finals played. He holds the record of playing 19 consecutive seasons for one team. The top-order batsman has been playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore since the beginning of the league. In 9 seasons, he has scored more than 500 runs in each.
Virat Kohli- In IPL
- played 5 finals
- Most centuries: 9
- Most seasons with one team: 19 seasons
- Scored 500+ runs 9 times in a season
This season, before the final match, the batsman has scored 600 runs in 15 innings, which includes four 50s and a century. His highest score so far in this campaign is 105 not out. Due to the number of runs scored in those innings, the RCB opener has an average of 50.00 as well as a strike rate of 164.38.
The momentum is with Bengaluru
RCB fans would love to see another masterclass from the icon against Gujarat Titans tonight, having retained the hard-earned trophy by defeating Punjab Kings in the summit clash last season.
At present, in the first innings of the match, RCB is maintaining control over the rhythm with the ball. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood in front of the paceline, Bengaluru successfully dismissed Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan early in the innings.
Read more: Bhuvneshwar Kumar refuses to honor Shubman Gill during IPL 2026 final
