New Delhi: The sight of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers sprinting between the red and gold wickets has been the heartbeat of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for over a decade. Despite their unparalleled individual records, the duo’s failure to lift the IPL trophy together remains one of cricket’s greatest paradoxes.
Now, ahead of the 2026 season, de Villiers has reflected deeply on why their greatest strength, their obsession with winning, could also become their “undoing”.
The South African icon revealed that he and Kohli share a “naughty” quality: they just want to win so much. This intense emotional investment often makes gaming a deeply personal burden.
Speaking on the Mbangwa Media YouTube channel, De Villiers explained that their relationship is built on a shared DNA of extreme competition. When they joined forces at RCB in 2011, they realized they were the same person.
“We realized we played a similar game, had a similar outlook on the game, had a similar competitiveness and really enjoyed batting together, running between the wickets, understanding cricket and just wanting to win,” de Villiers said.
However, this elitist mentality also has its flip side. De Villiers admitted that their inability to escape results often worked against them, leading to mental exhaustion and making every defeat feel like a personal failure.
“Both of us probably wanted it too much because maybe the biggest failure in our careers was wanting the team to win too much, and that affected us so much that when we lost we took it personally,” he admits.
Last season, Kohli finally won the elusive IPL title.
“So it’s probably…well, at least he got some trophies. I didn’t get a lot,” de Villiers added with a characteristic hint of humility.
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As RCB prepares for their title defense in 2026, de Villiers’ words are a reminder of the fine line between passion and pressure.
Over the years, the Kohli-ABD era has been characterized by this “naughty” desire to win, a trait that has made them legends, even if it has occasionally made the weight of the game unbearable.