RCB will be banking on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to fire in unison in the next season of IPL
Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers opened up about the next season of Indian Premier League, saying that he is really excited to meet Virat Kohli and his RCB teammates ahead of the new season.
De Villiers, who announced his retirement from international cricket earlier this year, will continue playing T20 competitions around the globe and he is excited to play the IPL in particular.
RCB largely disappointed in the last two years, finishing 8th (2017) and 6th (2018) but De Villiers feels that the team has what it takes to do well in IPL 12.
"The IPL remains the biggest T20 tournament in the world, and I can't wait to rejoin Virat Kohli and the rest of my team-mates at Royal Challengers Bangalore, where we will all be working hard to erase the disappointments of 2018," wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo
"Everybody knows RCB have the potential to win the IPL, and nobody knows quite why we have tended to perform so far below that potential, but we're not far away, and I fully expect us to be extremely competitive in 2019," he added.
Till now, RCB's best performances have come in 2009 and 2016, where they reached the final and lost to Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
However, a lot will depend on where the competition is held as general elections will be underway during that time and the competition may well need to be shifted out of the country in entirety or at least the first part of the tournament.
South Africa and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are considered to be the two options if it is to be moved out as they have staged the tournament before in 2009 and 2014 respectively.
Talking about the issue, De Villiers wrote: "There is speculation within the game about whether it will be possible for the IPL to take place in India next year, amid uncertainty about the timing of elections and all the associated implications for security arrangements. In an ideal world, the IPL will always take place in India, entertaining those amazing crowds in packed stadiums, but there are wider concerns and I'm sure the correct decision will be taken.
"South Africa stepped in as hosts of the IPL in 2009, and there are rumours that if it's not possible to stage the tournament in India next year, the matches could be played either in South Africa or the UAE. If the UAE is chosen as a venue, the groundsmen will be doing well to maintain pitches after the PSL. We will see what happens."
IPL 2019 is expected to start a tad early this year because of the World Cup in England and Wales, which is starting from May 30.
