AB de Villiers Reveals Potential Comeback Plans Under IPL's Impact Player Rule
AB de Villiers retired from international cricket in 2018
Former South African cricketer, AB de Villiers, is one of the greatest all-format batsmen the world has witnessed. The Protean legend bid farewell to international cricket in May 2018 and subsequently hung his boots from franchise cricket in 2021, leaving fans worldwide longing to witness his explosive and versatile playing style once again.
AB de Villiers breaks silence on IPL return
However, fans across the globe are eagerly anticipating the return of the explosive cricketer, particularly with the introduction of the new Impact Player rule in the IPL, which could entice veteran players like de Villiers to come out of retirement and thrill spectators once again.
Opening up on the prospect of making a return in a recent interview with Jio Cinema, de Villiers explained that although he still possesses the ability to play cricket, his motivation to excel at the highest level has diminished. He stated his pursuit of being the best and expressed his desire to compete with players like Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav if he were to make a comeback.
The legendary batter further reflected on the moment when his passion waned, causing him to question his purpose in the sport.
“I could still play cricket but the drive is not there anymore, it's always just being the best - I want to be the best if I come back & I will want to compete with Kohli & Surya - so the moment the fire went off, I felt, what am I doing so it was tough, I still can have my super knock here & there but don't want to do that because I want to be the best,” said de Villiers.
The former Royal Challengers Bangalore batter stated that while many people are applauding the introduction of the Impact Player rule for its potential to prolong players' careers, he personally disagrees with the notion. The erstwhile batter believes that playing for only two or three months of the year would hinder his pursuit of becoming the best player in the world.
“With this Impact Player, I know a lot of people are celebrating, it's going to lengthen the careers of players. To me, I could never do that. I could never just play for two or three months of the year because I want to be the best in the world, and you can't do that if you play for three months of the year,” added the South African veteran.
De Villiers played in 184 IPL matches, scoring a staggering 5162 runs, at an astonishing strike-rate of 151.69.
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