IPL 2021: Virat Kohli greets De Villiers with heartfelt hug after RCB return

IPL 2021 Phase 2: Virat Kohli-AB de Villier bromance continues in UAE – If you are yet to get over Lionel Messi and Neymar bromance, you can switch to cricket and you have Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers. The Indian captain and former South Africa skipper met at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s practice session on Friday after Kohli ended his 6-day quarantine following his return from England tour. And the RCB cameraman had his moment, capturing the moment as the two gave each other a heartfelt hug.

Bold Diaries: Virat Kohli joins the RCB team after quarantine

There were smiles, hugs and laughter in the RCB camp as captain Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj and some of our foreign players had their first hit in the nets.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/gxSEVf15rR

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 18, 2021

IPL 2021: Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been pillars of RCB since 2011 and over a decade the relationship has only got stronger. On the pitch and off it, VK and AB are RCB’s brand ambassadors and despite a section of fans wanting AB de Villiers to be made captain, the two have maintained mutual respect.

But IPL 2021 will be important for both. After stepping down from India’s T20I captaincy, Virat Kohli’s RCB captaincy role is under the scanner for added workload while AB de Villiers at 37 isn’t getting any fitter. If RCB once again fail to win the title, with the mega auction coming up next year, the franchise could rethink their positions.

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However, for now, all is well with both and the team is looking to land their maiden IPL trophy to end a 13-year drought. On Saturday, two other members of the team —Mohammed Siraj and new recruit Tim David also joined the squad for the first time since their quarantine period. David arrived in UAE following his participation in the recently concluded CPL 2021.

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Mohammed Siraj has said that it augurs well for his side that star batting trio — Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell are looking in good form ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season resumption. “It felt nice to join the team after quarantine. It is a very nice environment. All our batsmen look in form. It is a good thing for the team that Virat Bhai, Maxwell and AB de Villiers are looking in good form,” said Siraj in a video posted on the official YouTube channel of RCB.

Before the IPL 2021 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RCB had reached the third position on the points table with 10 points from seven matches. The franchise looks to end their wait for the silverware this season and the onus will be on the Kohli-Maxwell-De Villiers axis to get them home in the UAE.

Cricket