AB de Villiers : South African cricket legend AB de Villiers turns 39 today, and as we celebrate his birthday, it’s impossible not to look back at his phenomenal career. De Villiers is considered one of the finest batters to have graced the game, having represented the Proteas in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is. In total, he has scored over 20,000 international runs. His exceptional big-hitting skills made him a fan favorite at most venues.
De Villiers still holds two impressive records, the fastest ODI hundred and the fastest ODI fifty, both created in the same match against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015. The right-handed batter smashed 149 off only 44 balls, with nine fours and 16 sixes.
Despite announcing his shock retirement from international cricket in 2018, ABD continued to ply his trade in T20 leagues, especially for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL till 2021. Overall, he played 184 matches in the tournament, scoring 5162 runs at an average of 39.71 and an excellent strike rate of 151.69, with three hundreds and 40 fifties.
While many consider Virat Kohli the finest batter to have played in the IPL, there are three reasons why we believe De Villiers is the greatest IPL batter of all time.
360-degree Batter ( AB de Villiers )
De Villiers was the original 360-degree batter of cricket. His aggressive style of play meant he was often attacking the bowlers. Despite his high-risk approach, his consistency in the IPL was incredible. From 2009 to 2014, he scored over 300 runs in every season barring 2010. His strike rate was in excess of 150 in every season from 2012 to 2015.
De Villiers’ numbers only got better in the subsequent IPL editions. From 2015 to 2020, he smashed over 400 runs in every season apart from 2017. He had a strike rate in excess of 150 in every edition during the aforementioned phase, and his strike rate went up to 175.08 in 2015 and 174.54 in 2018.
ABD was thus unique in the sense that he could score at a rapid pace and do so with unbelievable consistency. He set the T20 batting benchmark for players like Suryakumar Yadav, who is carrying forward his legacy in incredible fashion.
Match-Winner ( AB de Villiers )
While De Villiers might not hold any of the major batting records in the IPL, he has played some of the best knocks for RCB under pressure, winning games for them from near-impossible situations. Chasing 159 against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) in IPL 2016, RCB were in the doldrums at 68/6. De Villiers, however, pulled off an incredible win for his franchise, slamming a nerveless 79* off 47 balls.
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ABD fans will never forget his assault on fellow South African fast bowler Dale Steyn during an IPL 2014 game in Bengaluru. Chasing 156 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB faltered to 59/4 at the start of the 11th over. They needed 28 runs off the last two overs. De Villiers then clobbered Steyn for three sixes and a four to completely change the momentum of the match.