The second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 hasn’t started off with the best of starts for AB de Villiers and his Royal Challengers Bangalore, but the South African great is certain that his team will win the coveted IPL title this season. In an interview with Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues on the show ‘Dream11 Dil Ya Dimaag,’ de Villiers said that he preferred his franchise over Manchester United and that M Chinnaswamy Stadium was preferable to Supersport Park in terms of the stadium.
The interview that the RCB talisman had with the Indian women’s cricketer
De Villiers responded positively when Rodrigues placed him in a difficult situation, asking him to choose between the Red Devils winning their first Premier League championship in 2012 and RCB winning their first-ever IPL trophy. “We are ready to win that IPL Trophy,” the South African remarked. Notably, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have yet to experience victory in the Indian Premier League, despite having qualified for the final three times (2009, 2011 and 2016).
The question was posed to De Villiers, who responded with a slap on the back when asked which venue he liked scoring runs the best. De Villiers stated that his favourite place to play cricket in the Chinnaswamy Stadium. “I do not play international cricket anymore. So, when I come to the Chinnaswamy and put my RCB jersey on, there is nothing that beats that,” said de Villiers, whose team will face the Chennai Super Kings in a match tonight in Sharjah.
Despite the fact that he has retired from international cricket, de Villiers chose himself over Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli when asked who he would choose to hit 20 runs off the last over. The Proteas captain, on the other hand, put his emotions on his sleeve when Rodrigues challenged him to travel back in time and win one game between the 2015 World Cup Semifinal and the 2016 IPL Final. “The World Cup is something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a child.” It was my first dream as a child when I was a little kid and first learned to play cricket.”
De Villiers represented South Africa in 114 Tests, 228 One-Day Internationals, and 78 Twenty20 Internationals, accumulating 8765, 9577, and 1672 runs in those formats, with 47 centuries and 109 half-centuries. Despite having declared his retirement from all forms of cricket in May 2018, the 37-year-old is currently involved in the Indian Premier League. De Villiers has scored 5056 runs at a strike rate of 152.34 in 177 IPL matches, with three 100s and 40 half-centuries.