Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers said that he expects Virat Kohli to back Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to stay with the franchise for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025.
De Villiers was speaking at the latest episode of the '360 Show' on his Youtube Channel after the league's governing body recently announced the player retention related rules and auction format.
Speaking on the Youtube Channel, De Villiers said that Faf du turning 40 this year in July is not an issue and it is just a number for the Proteas legend.
"Age is just a number, guys. I don't see why his turning 40 would be an issue. He has been there for a few seasons, and the players are used to him. I think Virat will back him with all his experience," said AB.
Having played his last international match for Proteas in 2021, Faf remains a consistent performer in T20 leagues circuit. In 392 T20s, he has scored 10,929 runs at an average of 32.81, with a strike rate of 136.27. He has scored six centuries and 76 fifties with the format.
Faf has represented Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rising Pune Supergiant (RPG) and RCB in his IPL career. In 145 IPL matches, he has scored 4,571 runs at an average of 35.99, with a strike rate of over 136 and 37 fifties. His best score is 96.
Since joining RCB as a skipper back in 2022, he has scored 1,636 runs at an average of 38.05, with a strike rate of almost 147. He has scored 15 fifties in 45 innings, with the best score of 96.
In the last season, he made 438 runs at an average of 29.20 and a strike rate of 161.62, with four fifties and best score of 64, playing a big role in RCB's rise to playoffs after a poor first half of the tournament in which they got only one win.
