Cricket

AB de Villiers : AB de Villiers,The Greatest IPL Batter of All Time

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.

ALSO READ

WPL Auction 2023 : Australia’s Marquee Players Dominate WPL Auction 2023, but Some Gems go Unsold

BCCI : Chetan Sharma Resigns as Chief Selector of BCCI Amidst Viral Sting Operation

India Test Match : Cricket Legend Sunil Gavaskar Honors Cheteshwar Pujara on His 100th Test Match

T20 World Cup 2023 : Deepti Sharma hailed as a fearless bowler after match-winning spell against West Indies

IPL 2023 : Markram to Lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023

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.

Neha Pandey

Recent Posts

July Ekadashi 2024 :देवशयनी एकादशी जुलाई 2024 में किस दिन है, तिथि, पूजा विधि, महत्व और पौराणिक कथा

देवशयनी एकादशी, जिसे आषाढ़ी एकादशी या हरिशयनी एकादशी के नाम से भी जाना जाता है,…

2 hours ago

Jagannath Rath Yatra 2024 : जगन्नाथ रथ यात्रा शुरू होगी इस दिन से, जाने तिथि शुभ मुहूर्त और रथ यात्रा की पौराणिक कथा

जगन्नाथ रथ यात्रा, जिसे रथ यात्रा के नाम से भी जाना जाता है, हिंदू धर्म…

2 hours ago

Aasadh Amavasya 2024 : आषाढ़ अमावस्या 2024, पितरों को श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करने का पावन अवसर

हिंदू धर्म में आषाढ़ अमावस्या का विशेष महत्व है। हर महीने कृष्ण पक्ष की चतुर्दशी…

3 hours ago

Masik Shivratri July 2024 :मासिक शिवरात्रि व्रत 2024 जुलाई में किस दिन है, तिथि, पूजा विधि और महत्व

मासिक शिवरात्रि, हिंदू धर्म के प्रमुख व्रतों में से एक है। यह हर महीने कृष्ण…

3 hours ago

Pradosh Vrat July 2024 :कृष्ण पक्ष प्रदोष व्रत 2024 जुलाई में किस दिन है, तिथि, पूजा विधि और महत्व

कृष्ण पक्ष प्रदोष व्रत, जिसे भैरव प्रदोष व्रत के नाम से भी जाना जाता है,…

1 day ago

July Ekadashi 2024 :योगिनी एकादशी 2024 जुलाई में किस दिन है, जाने भगवान श्री हरि को प्रसन्न करने के उपाय

योगिनी एकादशी, आषाढ़ मास के कृष्ण पक्ष में पड़ने वाली एक महत्वपूर्ण एकादशी है। यह…

1 day ago