Brothers of destruction: Reliving 3 of the most destructive partnerships between ABD and Kohli

Just about everybody in the world knows how destructive both AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli are. They can take the game away from the opposition all by themselves, change the complexion of a match and put their team in a commanding position.

Putting the two of them together at either end of the crease is surely a bowling side's nightmare. They have proven this to be true in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where they both play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and have combined forces on several occasions with devastating dominance. The carnage which the pair unleash is beyond comprehension and will leave any bowling attack utterly shattered.

In this article, we will look at 3 of the most destructive batting partnerships between AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in the IPL which have left audiences stunned. With the cricketing world still reeling from the news of de Villiers' shocking retirement, we'd like to relive some of his greatest moments with RCB.

#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Mumbai Indians, 10 May 2015

Kohli and de Villiers shattered the Mumbai Indians

The Mumbai Indians would have been optimistic about their chances of winning the match when they removed the big-hitting Chris Gayle for just 20 runs. However, that was not to be.

Kohli and de Villiers then combined and blasted their way to 235/1, which featured a mammoth 215 run stand between the duo. What's even more amazing is that the stand was unbroken, with de Villiers finishing on a scintillating 133* and Kohli on 82*.

RCB went on to win the match by 39 runs after a superb knock by Kieron Pollard, but the play of the day had to go to the carnage by de Villiers and Kohli. This partnership was unlike anything that the IPL had ever seen and little did we all know that it would be the first of many between these two.

#2 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs the Sunrisers Hyderabad, 12th April 2016

The stand between Kohli and de Villiers propelled RCB to yet another win

When Chris Gayle fell for just 6 runs, the Sunrisers Hyderabad would have been hoping to restrict RCB to under 200. The early loss of the destructive Gayle would have been something that RCB would have been less than thrilled about and the coaching staff might have abandoned any hope of the side posting a score in excess of 200 runs.

Kohli and de Villiers had other plans. The pair smashed an astonishing 157-run stand off just 87 balls to guide RCB to a mammoth 227/4. The duo made an absolute mockery of the SRH bowling attack and hit the ball to all areas of the ground.

A century by David Warner proved to be insufficient, with RCB taking the win by 45 runs.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs the Delhi Daredevils, 17 April 2016

Kohli and de Villiers continued their fine form against Delhi

While this resulted in a win for the Delhi Daredevils, the partnership put on by the pair of Kohli and de Villiers made headlines yet again. The partnership was not as destructive as the previous two which were mentioned before, but the way in which they controlled the innings and dominated the bowling was something to admire.

The pair put on an aggressive 107 run stand to help RCB post 191. The duo again stood out from the rest of the RCB batting order and made it look as if though they were batting on a completely different pitch.

A maiden century by Quinton de Kock handed Delhi the win, but RCB showed the tournament yet again that their duo of Kohli and de Villiers would be a threat to bowling sides throughout the tournament.