AB de Villiers picks another team that can win the 2023 IPL season
The action of the Indian Premier League is slowly peaking as most of the teams have played to their respective matches. It is still quite early to take a call, but some teams have impressed while others have been slow starters. Royal Challengers Bangalore started with a win against Mumbai Indians, and the win brought a smile to the face of AB de Villiers, who was recently introduced in the ICC Hall of Fame. He wants the side to win this tournament but has also predicted that the Gujarat Titans, led by Hardik Pandya, can also win the IPL 2023.
While talking on NDTV, when he was asked to predict a possible winner, AB de Villiers said, "Very difficult one." A long time ago, during the IPL auction, I said that the Gujarat Titans were going to go back-to-back. I am going to stick to that, even though I really want the RCB to win. Since last year, I have felt that they have a really great team, very well balanced. They have enough power. Hopefully, RCB goes all the way.
He is also said that Virat Kohli is looking relaxed and happy this season after giving away the role of captain with the RCB and also with the national team. Kohli has scored an unbeaten 82 runs to help their side to an eight-wicket win against Mumbai Indians in their IPL opener match.
When it was asked of de Villiers whether he had noticed any change in the batting of Kohli in recent years, he said, "I have not seen much change; everything is similar." The technique looks solid; he has good balance at the crease. He is still that "busy" player with a lot of energy at the wicket. I just feel that this season he has come in looking really fresh. I have seen some of his interviews where he is laughing more than ever... " He further said that "I think letting the captaincy go last season played a big role in him relaxing." He was a fantastic captain, but he did it for a long period of time both internationally and also at the IPL, which can be daunting. You never get time off to chill, spend time with family, or have a laugh with some friends. I think that is his mantra for this season—just to go out and have fun and keep smiling."