South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has praised Virat Kohli's leadership, saying the Royal Challengers captain "leads by example" as the team attempts to shred their underachievers tag in this year's Indian Premier League.
In an interview on the team's YouTube channel, De Villiers said the India captain was driving the "hard-working environment" around the squad as they countdown to Saturday's opening match in the UAE.
"He leads by example, he sets the standards and it is pretty easy to follow when you have a captain leading from the front," said De Villiers.
Bangalore have finished bottom of the eight-team league in two of the past three seasons. Kohli's side begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai next Monday.
Kohli, who has led the Bangalore side since 2013, has said he has "never felt so calm" entering an IPL season.
De Villiers understands that Bangalore have promised plenty before without delivering, but the three-time ICC ODI Player of the Year said this year was "different".
"Looking at the combinations there is back-up everywhere. And we have options for Virat to play the best XI," he added.
The Twenty20 tournament is being held in UAE because of the surge in coronavirus cases in India, which is the second worst-hit nation behind the United States.
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Paul Radley's greatest IPL XI
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1) Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore) 3,573 runs, strike rate 139.53. Stiff competition from the likes of David Warner and Chris Gayle for an opening berth in this line up. But Watson has been player of the series twice, as well as being man of the match in the final two years ago. AFP -
2) Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians) 4,898 runs, strike rate 130.82. Five titles. The third most runs in tournament history. IPL players don’t come any more decorated than Mumbai’s captain. AFP -
3) Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) 5,412 runs, strike rate 131.61. Amazing to think an IPL title is still missing from his CV. He is one of only two Indians to have been named player of the series. The other was Sachin Tendulkar in 2010. AFP -
4) Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions) 5,368 runs, strike rate 137.11. Conspicuous by his absence in the UAE this year, Raina has missed just one match out of all those played by the IPL’s most consistent side. AFP -
5) Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders), 1,400 runs, strike rate 186.41; 55 wickets, economy rate 8.88. His belligerence reached new levels last year, as he scored 510 runs at an average of 57, and at a rate of more than two per delivery. Bowls a bit, too. AFP -
6) MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant) 4,432 runs, strike rate 137.85. Supporters should cherish the time they have left to watch Captain Cool, given he has just ended his international career. Central to CSK’s success down the years. Ravindranath K / The National -
7) Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders) 122 wickets, economy rate 6.67; 778 runs, strike rate 168.34. One-team-men are rare in the IPL. As with Andre Russell and Lasith Malinga, there is a reason Narine has been so highly treasured by KKR. A two time player of the series. AFP -
8) Ravichandran Ashwin (Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Rising Pune Supergiant) 125 wickets, economy rate 6.79. Just gets in ahead of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra on account of superior economy. Plus watching the fall-outs from his Mankads is good fun, too. Reuters -
9) Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad) 133 wickets, economy rate 7.24. No other Indian pace bowler gets close to his career haul of wickets, and an economy rate of 7.24 is better even than Jasprit Bumrah. Courtesy Sunrisers Hyderabad Twitter / @SunRisers -
10) Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) 170 wicket, economy rate 7.14. The Sri Lankan great would get in due to his sheer weight of wickets, which is way more than anyone else. But to have such miserly economy after all this time is extraordinary, too. Getty Images -
11) Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians) 82 wickets, economy rate 7.55. The bare figures don’t actually do Bumrah too much justice. But his bowling under pressure – evidenced the way Mumbai closed out last year’s final – is unparalleled. AP Photo -
12th man) Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Rajasthan Royals). Because if you need a 12th man, you might as well have the best fielder going around. AP Photo
