“Hopefully there are few more years ahead of me” – AB de Villiers shared about how he played for RCB in the IPL
One of the best batsmen in modern cricket, Eric De Villiers, has opened the veil over his future in the IPL. The RGB icon said in a live Instagram post that he still has a few more years left to play cricket.
AB de Villiers belongs to that rare breed of cricketers who come along only once in a millennium. Having created a massive footprint in the cricketing universe as the most respected sough-after athletes to ever play the sport, ABD has enjoyed much of his deserved adulation and fan-worship ever since he donned the glittering red and gold jersey of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise in the IPL.
The wicketkeeper-batsman broke many records by scoring big runs for the Proteas and even captaining the side to many glorious victories. However, the magic he manages to conjure up whilst playing alongside his great buddy Indian skipper Virat Kohli is the stuff of legends for young fans and IPL lovers around the world.
The 37-year-old shocked everyone with his unexpected retirement from international cricket in 2018 on the grounds of spending more time with his family and kids. Yet his sincere commitment and super-pro attitude towards the game did not waiver one bit as the South African stalwart still remains RCB’s go-to man.
Over the years, De Villiers has had such a mean command over the game that his numbers clearly reflect the kind of quality he offers on the 22-yard cricket strip. His influence on the IPL’s stature of dominance over the rest of the premier T20 cricket leagues of the world is arguably second to none.
With 176 matches played, ABD has notched up 5056 runs at an impressive average of 40.8. The best part of his IPL career stats is that he strikes the white-ball at a rate of 152.4 in a fashion that is yet to be seen in the shortest format of the sport.
While there are powerful strikers of the cricket ball in the modern era like Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Rohit Sharma, and the likes, ABD’s immaculate sense of timing and the finesse with which he operates in the middle is left to be replicated in international cricket successfully.
De Villiers was seen speaking on a live Instagram session with Louie Giglio from Atlanta, Georgia when he mentioned that he still has a few more years ahead of him to prove his mettle and win more accolades for his team before retiring from the IPL.
Much to the delight of ABD fans worldwide, this live Instagram session was reshared and made into a talking trend ahead of the upcoming second phase of IPL 2021, which will take place in Dubai on September 19.
The RCB superstar spoke about his overall IPL experience in the live Instagram session as he said:
“Playing in the IPL, having broken one record or two, playing in front of the crowd, and realizing that my teammates are also in awe. I have the privilege of experiencing those moments once or twice, maybe three or four times,” De Villers hyped his fans’ expectations from him as he revealed that he plans to play for another few seasons.
After a relatively great start to this year’s IPL where RCB has won five of their first seven games and is currently third on the table, it is no misnomer to say that most of the wins have resulted on the back of some sensational ABD performances. Kohli’s team is without a doubt going to depend on the veteran cricketer in the UAE leg as well.
