IPL 2023: AB de Villiers promises return to Royal Challengers Bangalore next year, here’s WHY

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore batter AB de Villiers has finally cleared air on his comeback speculations, on Monday (October 3), in an interaction through Twitter Spaces.

AB de Villiers. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers walked away from the Indian Premier League earlier this year after announcing his retirement from all forms of the game. De Villiers didn’t get an opportunity to play his final game in front of the Bengaluru fans since IPL 2020 was held in the UAE due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

De Villiers has finally cleared air on his comeback speculations, on Monday (October 3), in an interaction through Twitter Spaces. While speaking to his followers on Twitter, the 38-year-old cricketer said that he will return to Chinnaswamy  Stadium (home ground of Bangalore franchise) next year, not for playing but to thank all the fans for the support over a decade.

Here’s what AB de Villiers informed his fans on Twitter…

AB Devilliers said "I will return to Chinnaswamy next year, not for playing but to thank all the fans for the support over a decade". — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 3, 2022

With this, the former swashbuckling batter has put a rest to all the speculations which risen due to his statement which he gave during IPL 2022. “I will definitely be around the IPL next year. I would love to return to my second hometown,” de Villiers told VUSport.

“I will be around RCB next year, I am missing it, don’t know in which capacity but I would like to visit my second home which is Chinnaswamy stadium — I am looking forward to it,” said de Villiers, who was included in RCB Hall of Fame a few days back along with West Indies’ Chris Gayle.

Thanks for tuning in! It was fun chatting to u all. Next time I'll be inviting more guests on the show
https://t.co/es4SnRJKs2 — AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) October 3, 2022

De Villiers, considered by many as one of the greatest white-ball cricketers with 9,577 runs in 228 One-day International matches, is the first South African batter to score a double century in Tests when he blasted 217 against India in April 2008. One of the most destructive batters in ODIs, de Villiers in January 2018 scored both the fastest fifty and the fastest century by a batsman, off 16 balls and 31 balls respectively.

He joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural year in 2008 and is sixth on the list of players with the most runs scored in IPL with 5,162 runs from 170 innings at an average of 38.70 and a strike rate of 151.68.