Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers, who will be returning to the field for the upcoming edition of the Mzansi Super League, has expressed excitement over his comeback.
Vijay Mallya, who played a crucial role in building RCB's core identity -- most notably by backing a young Virat Kohli, and later signing superstars like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers -- shared a series of heartfelt messages after the final.
South African great AB de Villiers revealed that he sees a lot of himself in young Australian batsman Josh Philippe.
'It's great to see him stepping out of his comfort zone, trying new shots, and exploring different aspects of his game.'
'The ultimate team man, and he looks very, very focused. Obviously, the job's not done yet, but I'm very excited to watch him play.'
India's young guns have the talent to achieve something special in the upcoming England Test series, provided they back themselves, said former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers in Mumbai on Saturday.
Always lovely to see Mr 360 at the heart of the action during an IPL game.
'He alluded to being concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been a part of the system. I don't think it sat well with him, which I understand.'
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'If he keeps going, he will go down as one of the best ODI captains of all time.'
Former India star VVS Laxman feels AB de Villiers, without an iota of doubt, is the most complete batsman in the modern era, who has three to four shots in his repertoire for every delivery.
Parthiv Patel, who won Man of the Match award for his half-century against Mumbai Indians, has showered encomiums on AB de Villiers for calming the roughed up proceedings.
The legendary AB de Villiers said he will 'definitely' return to the IPL next year as part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, but he is not sure in what capacity.
Just like his swashbuckling batting, memories of AB de Villiers' stunning one-handed catch against the Sunrisers Hyderabad will be etched forever in the memories of Indian fans.
"The biggest thing that stands out for me is 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."
'Great start for RCB and it really is looking good. We are not going into the space of, 'Is this the year (RCB will win the IPL)?'
South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has ruled himself out of the team's three-Test series in New Zealand in March, but insists he is not retiring from the longest format of the game.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still India's MVP of the current 2009-10 season, but Tendulkar has come dangerously close. The master batsman would almost certainly have topped if he had played as many matches as Dhoni.
Walking out with intent and flair, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed a quickfire 51 off just 56 deliveries in the morning session, propelling England to a strong 387.
The victory brought overwhelming joy and relief
'As a 36-year-old to come here, having not played a lot of cricket, in the middle of some talented youngsters -- was a pleasing start'
Virat Kohli would be the perfect answer for India's No. 4 conundrum at the World Cup, said AB de Villiers.
Ahead of the 18th season of Indian Premier League, here all the stats and numbers from the annual cricket extravaganza.
Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Gujarat Lions by four wickets to enter the final of the Indian Premier League.
Leading the celebrations was cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, who praised RCB's long-awaited victory with a touch of poetic symmetry.
'Look at the batting line-up -- it's pure power, then a mix of power and control.'
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'We know Dinesh Karthik will be here this year which is fantastic and it's great for the tournament.'
AB de Villiers played a match-winning knock of 79 not out from just 47 balls against Gujarat in the Qualifier 1 match to help RCB stage one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the tournament, after the hosts were reduced to 29 for five at one stage chasing 160 for victory.
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Despite the impressive record that the WTC finalists are in possession of, Bangar doesn't believe the Proteas or the Baggy Greens will receive an edge over the other in the Ultimate Test, which is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday.
AB de Villiers demolished KKR with a magnificent unbeaten 73 from just 33 balls.
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'We missed out on Ravichandran Ashwin, but we have a strong pace attack.'
Virat Kohli paid tribute to Dr Abraham Benjamin Villiers.
'David Warner leads from the front. He is not going to give up until the tournament is over. So expect a bounce-back from them.'
On Sunday, after leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders. De Villiers said he was looking to make a comeback to international cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup.
After South Africa were penalised five runs for ball tampering against Pakistan in the second Test in Dubai on Friday, AB de Villiers insisted the Proteas were not cheats.
'Doubt if we will ever see Indian players in overseas leagues'
