Former South African skipper, AB de Villiers has confirmed that he will be featuring in the 2019 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) without specifying which franchise he will sign with. Earlier this years, the South African great decided to hang his boots from international cricket and on Friday, he announced his participation in PSL on Twitter.
De Villiers shared his excitement to take part in the tournament and he also thanked his fans for their support. In his video message, ABD said, “Pakistan Super League has grown into one of the top T20 tournaments in the world and I’ve really enjoyed watching PSL matches in recent years. PSL is a league that has given Pakistan so much to cheer about and I look forward to being on the field once again.”
It’s time for @thePSLt20. So, there’s going to be a party in February?#ABaurPSL #psl2019 pic.twitter.com/WPWo1t9ABB
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) September 7, 2018
The news comes a couple days after the announcement that Mr. 360 will continue playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). De Villiers has played for RCB since 2011 and has amassed as many as 3313 runs at 41.41 for the IPL franchise in just 113 matches.
Shahid Afridi, who plays for Karachi Kings, has welcomed AB de Villiers to the PSL and said the stint will not disappoint him.. He tweeted, “Welcome to @thePSLt20 my friend @ABdeVilliers17. Look forward to seeing you. The cricket fans in Pakistan love your batting, you’ll really enjoy the league. Thank you for opting for PSL!”
Welcome to @thePSLt20 my friend @ABdeVilliers17. Look forward to seeing you. The cricket fans in Pakistan love your batting, you'll really enjoy the league. Thank you for opting for PSL! https://t.co/RGZkmlzgBf
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 7, 2018
In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) founded the PSL and now the T20 league has become a six-team tournament – Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, and Lahore Qalandars. Islamabad lifted the coveted trophy in the last season of the tournament.
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Outside South African franchise cricket and the IPL, De Villiers has played for Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as well. However, his retirement announcement shocked all the cricketing fraternity as their no doubt about the fact that he is going through the prime of his career as a batsman.
