There are a handful of cricketers who managed to create an impact in the Indian Premier League (IPL) like the South African stalwart, AB de Villiers. The former South African skipper proved his mettle in every cricket tournament and format he played in and the IPL was no different. Some might even argue that the IPL is where he took his career to the next level and still holds a lot of influence on the world’s biggest T20 franchise tournament.
AB de Villiers hung his boots from international cricket in 2018 and announced his retirement from IPL and all formats of cricket in November 2021. He was part of IPL since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008 with Delhi Daredevils and then joined Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2011. During his glorious IPL journey, De Villiers has amassed 5162 runs from 184 innings at an average of 39.7 and a strike rate of 151.7.
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The RCB stalwart, while sharing his early memories in IPL, talked about how the cash-rich tournament changed his and other cricketers’ lives. He said all the people connected to IPL are really passionate. AB also revealed that sharing a dressing room with the legendary Australian seamer, Glenn McGrath was the biggest stand-out thing during his early IPL days.
During a chat with SA Cricket Magazine, AB de Villiers said, “It was a huge occasion for me and a lot of the other players. The start of the IPL changed our lives. The people are really passionate about cricket. Not only with the home team but they support members in other teams as well.”
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He further added, “The biggest thing that stands out for me are the people that I met. I think of Glenn McGrath and the time I spent with him. He was this hard guy and all of a sudden I am sitting with him in the changeroom and having a beer with him.”
Both AB de Villiers and McGrath shared the same dressing room at Delhi Daredevils for the first couple of seasons. The Australian pacer was at the end of his illustrious career and was a big influence on young cricketers during the early IPL seasons.
