Dubai, October 17: AB de Villiers once again worked his magic to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a 7-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in an IPL 2020 match on Saturday (October 17). RCB skipper Royal Challengers was merely stating the obvious when he said the South African could be the most impactful player in the entire IPL.
De Villiers creamed a 22-ball 55, including a 25-run off Jaydev Unadkat, to snatch a victory for RCB that at once stage looked distant.
"It doesn't matter who the bowler is, he does what he does. AB is always been someone who's been ready to look at the situation and adapt his game accordingly. In my eyes, he is the most impactful player in the IPL. If he goes, the opposition know they have a slim chance and there's a good reason for that. It's purely because of the presence of someone like him that teams feel we are never out of the game," said Kohli in the post-match presentation.
However, Kohli said they were apprehensive how many balls De Villiers would get as the match was drawing close. "To be honest, you're always tense in chase because you're not sure how many balls AB is going to get. And credit to Gurkeerat as well as he stuck with AB and got that important boundary."
Kohli said the RCB was not considering a change in their team combination, especially the opening pair of Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal.
"Our game pattern is very clear. Dev has batted beautifully, Finchy has played some impact innings. We understand the dynamics and we're sticking to our plans. The bowling has really stepped up this season and looks we're gonna be put under pressure but the guys have come back strongly. Morris has also been brilliant, just that energy he brings in. Saini, Washy and Isuru as well, the bowling has come together well."
"The individuals are stepping up and we've been done that all through the tournament, which is why we have 12 points. We are very happy right now because after this we get three days off."