Former RCB batter AB de Villiers believes Virat Kohli doesn’t need to focus on increasing his strike rate in IPL 2025 but should instead play smart cricket and anchor the innings when required. Speaking at a virtual press meet organized by Star Sports, de Villiers addressed questions about his former teammate and spoke about Kohli’s role in the upcoming season. He said that Kohli will be batting alongside England’s explosive opener Phil Salt, which allows him to play a more controlled game rather than chasing an aggressive strike rate. "Virat has looked very calm and composed in the last while. He seems to be enjoying his cricket. I don't think he's going to have to up his strike rate, guys batting with Phil Salt. I mean, Phil Salt is one of the most attacking players we've ever seen," de Villiers said. RCB made a few notable changes to their squad ahead of IPL 2025, releasing former captain Faf du Plessis and investing in hard-hitting overseas players. The explosive England batter Phil Salt is expected to open with Kohli, while the likes of Tim David, Jacob Bethell, and Liam Livingstone add further firepower. In the Indian contingent, the team will be banking on newly appointed captain Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, and Jitesh Sharma. Also Read: Watch: Dhoni smashes Pathirana for a six with vintage helicopter shot De Villiers believes that with such an attacking lineup, Kohli’s role will be to provide stability and guide the batting order at the top. 'Virat needs to be the captain of the batting department' The former South African cricketer further elaborated on Kohli’s importance to RCB’s batting structure this season. "I think he needs to be the captain of the batting department in this tournament and really just keep things together and play smart cricket because they will be travelling a lot and hopping between venues all the time to make sure they don't find those collapses in the batting order. I think Virat will have to just play smart cricket and he's got a lot of explosive power around him," he said. Kohli remains the all-time leading run-scorer in IPL history, with 8004 runs in 252 matches. Over the past two seasons, he has notched up 1380 runs, but despite his individual brilliance, RCB has yet to break their title drought in the league. However, de Villiers is optimistic about the team’s chances this time around. "Well, let's hope so, right? That number 18 certainly rings a nice tone in my head. And I do feel this squad has got what it takes to go all the way," he said. RCB will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on March 22.