Top 5 Virat Kohli-AB de Villiers partnerships
Two of the biggest names in white-ball cricket and arguably the best batting pair in the IPL, it is common knowledge that no opposition captain is truly at ease when AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli are at the crease.
There is an age-old adage in cricket that "bowlers always hunt in pairs". However, there is no such equivalent phrase when it comes to batting. But if there was one, no other pair would have epitomized it any better than the destructive yet classy duo of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
Kohli and de Villiers are the two names that have become synonymous with the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The pair has always been IPL's cornerstone and RCB's reason for having such a cult following amongst the masses.
Since de Villiers was drafted into the RCB side in 2011, the dynamic duo has lit up the IPL stage whenever they have batted together and the fans long to see them spin their magic in the middle with bated breath. IPL 2020 will be no different and fans around the world are hoping to see them back in action.
Here we have compiled a list of 5 such partnerships of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
#5 RCB v DD, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, 17th April 2016: 107-run stand
The 2016 IPL season was completely owned by Virat Kohli who hit four centuries through the course of the tournament. The 11th match of the season saw Virat Kohli's RCB take on a resurgent Delhi Daredevils side (now rechristened as Delhi Capitals).
Put into bat first, RCB were off to a horror start as Chris Gayle departed on naught off the third delivery of the innings. AB de Villiers came one down and joined his skipper to steer the team out of troubled waters.
The duo was off the blocks cautiously but when they got hang of the DD bowlers, fury was unleashed. They put up a stand of 107 runs for the second wicket where Kohli scored 79 off 48 deliveries which included seven boundaries and three sixes and ABD managed to score a quick-fire 55 off just 33 balls at a destructie strike-rate of 166.66.
Although the effort ended in a losing cause as Quinton de Kock smashed his maiden ton for the DD side, Kohli and de Villiers showed the fans what they are capable of bringing on the table.
#4 KKR v RCB, Eden Gardens, 16th May 2016: 115-run stand
Playing against an 80,000 plus crowd of a vociferous Eden Gardens against the home side is always a tough task. But for the duo of Kohli-de Villiers, it seems the greater the challenge, the better the performance.
In the 48th match of IPL 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders had set a steep target of 184-runs in front of RCB owning to Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey's exploits.
Contrary to previous occasions when de Villiers had to come out early on to salvage the RCB innings , the opening partnership of Gayle-Kohli gave a solid platform for the South African. Gayle blasted off 49 runs off 31 deliveries before perishing in the eight over.
The South African joined Virat Kohli with 113 runs still required to win the all-important match. Together, the two talismanic batsmen stitched an unbeatable partnership of 115 runs whilst chasing down the daunting target with more than an over to spare.
Virat Kohli hit 75 runs in 51 deliveries with six boundaries and three huge sixes, whereas de Villiers finished with 59 off 30 balls at an astounding strike rate of 190.32.
#3 RCB v SRH, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, 12th April 2016: 157-run stand
Put into bat first against a strong Sunrisers Hyderbad bowling line-up, RCB did not have an ideal start as Chris Gayle perished at the measly score of six.
In walked the Pretorian and he, along with Virat Kohli, who had opened the innings for RCB, started an onslaught that tore apart the best bowling line-up of the IPL 2016.
Kohli smashed 75 runs off 51 deliveries with a healthy strike rate of 147.05 whereas de Villiers mustered 82 runs off just 42 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries and six sixes.
The duo together shared a massive 157-run stand off just 87 balls and helped RCB post a match winning total of 228 in front of SRH.
RCB went on to win the match by 45 runs and de Villiers was adjudged the 'man of the match' for his swashbuckling innings.
#2 RCB v MI, Wankhede Stadium, 10th May 2015: 215-run stand
Like every Kohli-ABD partnership, this one also came at a time when RCB were in an early spot of bother. The Jamaican Chris Gayle departed in the third over itself thanks to a brute of a delivery from Lasith Maliga and the scorecard read 20/1 after 3.1 overs.
But then came a storm that blew apart the Mumbai Indians' side in their own fortress. The South African started at a relatively slower pace as he scored his half-century in 29 deliveries.
But once he went past the fifty-run mark, the South African threw the kitchen sink at the MI bowlers. He raced to his century in just 47 deliveries, courtesy two huge back-to-back sixes.
The duo put on an unbeaten stand of 215 runs and helped RCB to set a target of 236 runs for the host Mumbai.
De Villiers slammed his second Indian Premier League century and scored the match-winning 133 runs while Kohli remained unbeaten on 82.
#1 RCB v GL, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, 14th May 2016: 229-run stand
As if the gargantuan 215-run stand was not enough for the pair, Virat Kohli and de Villiers took it a notch above one year later and broke their own record which is still standing.
In the annual Go-Green match against the now defunct Gujarat Lions side, the cricketing world saw a batting masterclass of a level never seen before.
Put in to bat first, RCB lost Chris Gayle in the 3rd over when he chopped on a pacy delivery from Dhawal Kulkarni.
Then in walked the charismatic South African and thus began one of the best, if not the greatest T20 partnership of all time. Kohli and de Villiers blasted the Gujarat Lions bowlers to all parts of the park. Shots of such finesse were played throughout the inning by the two right-handers that the crowd became spell-bound.
During the partnership's marathon run, Kohli and de Villiers hit 20 huge sixes together and gave no chance to the bowlers whatsoever. RCB went on to set a mammoth target of 249 runs for the Gujarat Lions which proved too much in the end as Lions lost the match by a whopping 144-runs in the end.
Interestingly, it was the first instance where two batsmen had scored centuries in an IPL game. Virat Kohli struck 109 at an impressive strike rate of 198, while De Villiers hit 129 runs at a destructive strike rate of 248.