'I got a direct message from Virat' - AB de Villiers on Kohli stopping him from using 'Ee sala cup namde' slogan

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chant 'E sala cup namde', which means 'this year, the cup will be ours' in Kannada, has become one of the most popular slogans of the IPL. However, South African legend and former RCB star AB de Villiers has recently revealed that he was told by his teammate and legendary India batter Virat Kohli to not use the slogan at all.

The Bengaluru-based team has one of the most loyal fan bases and have broken many records in the franchise league, but in the last 18 editions have not got their hands on the title at all despite featuring in three finals. The former IPL cricketer was recently seen on the Star Sports Press Room and has revealed the reason behind Kohli stopping him from using the slogan, while also discussing RCB's failure in lifting the title for 18 years despite having some of the best players in the world.

"I honestly, said those words the other day and I got a direct message from Virat, and he said, please just stop doing that now. So I got into a bit of trouble. But to be fair, I am exhausted saying it all the time, that the trophy is coming this season. Guys, it is the IPL, there are 10 world-class teams that could possibly even win a World Cup, never mind the IPL. It is an incredibly difficult tournament to win,” said de Villiers.

"There are so many factors that play a role from travelling, different teams, different strategies, and injuries. So many things change throughout the season, but it is the team that manages to find a way to keep that fuel in the tank for the back end of the tournament that generally comes out on top. The teams that make their home advantage count, we see them come out on top. So I hope that this is the year, the 18th season, number 18 on the back. I will be there to lift that trophy with Virat if it happens," the Proteas international added.

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Meanwhile, RCB have started things afresh in terms of their leadership as they have found a new captain in Rajat Patidar. The Madhya Pradesh batter will be the eighth skipper to lead this franchise, after his predecessor Faf Du Plessis parted ways to join Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2025 edition. The upcoming season will also see Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning to the franchise, having made his debut with them in 2009-10 during the Champions League.