Virat Kohli Puts 114-Test Veteran Over Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh In 'IPL Match-Winners' Debate
RCB great Virat Kohli was asked to leave his chair if he heard the name of a better IPL match-winner than Chris Gayle.
- Virat Kohli was asked to leave his chair in RCB's video if he heard a better IPL match-winner than Chris Gayle
- The RCB icon stayed seated when names of some all-time greats were called out, including Yuvraj Singh
- Kohli left the chair immediately upon hearing the name of his former teammate and friend AB de Villiers
Batting stalwart Virat Kohli feels former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate AB de Villiers is a better IPL match-winner than Chris Gayle. In a video shared by RCB, Kohli was asked to leave his chair if he heard the name of a better IPL match-winner than Gayle. Notably, Kohli, Gayle, and de Villiers were all teammates at RCB for several years. The RCB icon remained seated when the names of Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Faf du Plessis, Kieron Pollard, Brendon McCullum, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina were called out one after the other.
However, he left the chair immediately upon hearing the name of his former teammate and friend de Villiers.
"I was just waiting for one name and that's it," said Kohli on picking de Villiers over Gayle.
Nothing but facts from Virat Kohli.
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Kohli and de Villiers shared the dressing room at RCB for 11 seasons, forming one of the deadliest partnerships in the history of the IPL. They hold the record for the biggest partnership in IPL history, having put up 229 runs against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in 2016.
They are one of only two pairs in the tournament's history to register 200+ partnerships twice, alongside Gujarat Titans' Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who achieved the feat in 2025. While Kohli has been part of RCB since the inaugural edition, de Villiers represented the franchise from 2011 to 2021.
Representing the Bengaluru-based franchise, Kohli has amassed 8889 runs in 272 matches and 262 innings in IPL history. The right-handed batter has smashed eight centuries and 65 half-centuries at an average of 39.86.
In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, Kohli is the leading run-getter with 228 runs in five matches, including two fifties.
(With ANI Inputs)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Virat Kohli
Chris Gayle
AB de Villiers