South African legend AB de Villiers has stated that star batter Virat Kohli holds the key for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the middle overs and the latter will have to play a key role to start a resurgence in their IPL 2024 campaign.

RCB’s season hasn’t got off to the best of starts. They have lost three out of their four games so far and occupy the eighth spot on the points table, featuring 10 teams.

Addressing RCB's woes in the ongoing IPL, De Villiers highlighted the significance of Kohli's presence in the middle overs.

"Hopefully, he (Virat) keeps going with his good start, because RCB need that glue in the middle overs. We need him to get through the first six (overs), that is ultimately how I want to see him play. Let Faf take more risk upfront, but Virat, I want you to be there over 6-15. That is when RCB is going to fire from all cylinders. Watch out for that," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

According to De Villiers, RCB need a couple of noteworthy wins to get their campaign back on track and climb the IPL standings.

"RCB... not a bad start but not great. It is in the middle, and they need a couple of wins. They will be hitting the road and hopefully, they find a good fortune away from home before they come back to the Chinnaswamy," he remarked.

Talking about RCB’s campaign, they lost to defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament at Chepauk before bouncing back to beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) by four wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

However, RCB failed to build on the victory as they went down against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by seven wickets and 28 runs respectively in their next two home fixtures.

RCB’s next match is scheduled against the rampaging Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Saturday (April 6).