He deserves to be on the podium with us – Virat Kohli on AB de Villiers joining RCB's IPL win celebrations

When RCB defeated PBKS in the Qualifier, it guaranteed another important feat and that was the arrival of RCB Hall of Famer, AB de Villiers in India for the grand finale. The South African hard-hitter had said before on his YouTube channel that he was going to be at the stadium if RCB made it to the summit clash, and he kept his word.

RCB’s triumph in the grand finale simply enhanced the joys of AB de Villiers' presence in the crowd and Virat Kohli had a very special message for one of his closest buddies. Talking in a post-match interview, Virat highlighted how de Villiers has contributed to the franchise during his playing days.

Virat said, “What he's (AB) done for this franchise is tremendous. Told him before the game as well - this one is as much yours and I wanted him to celebrate with us. He still has the most MoM awards for us and he's been retired four years. He deserves to be on the podium with us.”

ABD smashed 4522 runs from the 157 matches that he played for RCB. His average of 41.10 and a blistering strike rate of 158.33 were simply beyond words. He also clubbed two centuries and 37 fifties for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.