BBL 2019-20: AB de Villiers Set To Make BBL Debut with Brisbane Heat

De Villiers would be potentially playing six games as well as being available for the finals should the Heat qualify in the upcoming BBL edition

Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Brisbane Heat has signed former South African skipper AB de Villiers for the upcoming season. The former flamboyant batter will join the team in the second half of the tournament and will replace Brendon McCullum, who retired from T20 leagues this year. De Villiers, who retired from international cricket in April last year, said the decision to join the Heat for the BBL was straight-forward.

“The Heat have always stood out to me. Brisbane is a lovely city - I've been there a few times before travelling with the South African team. I love the place, I love the weather. It's similar to Pretoria where I'm from,” he told brisbaneheat.com.au. “They play the kind of cricket that I want to be associated with. It's quite aggressive. They go after the attack. And the Gabba, it's a beautiful cricket field. It's a great wicket and games are always of high quality,” he added.

He's coming... Welcome @ABdeVilliers17! 🔥 Details: https://t.co/mYCimq9irZ#BringTheHeat #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/uiRLXEGb6m

— Brisbane Heat (@HeatBBL) September 30, 2019

On the other hand, Heat coach Darren Lehmann said he was over the moon to have the chance to work with de Villiers for the first time.

“World-class players don't just come along every day and to have a player of AB's stature and skill in the BBL is a fantastic outcome for everyone, not just the Heat. We're excited to bring him into the group this summer and allow him to showcase his skills for the fans,” Lehman said.

The former South Africa captain would be potentially playing six games as well as being available for the finals should the Heat qualify in the upcoming BBL edition. De Villiers represented Proteas in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is in which he amassed 8765, 9577 and 1672 runs, respectively. He was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last season of the Indian Premier League where he scored 442 runs at a strike rate of 154 including five 50-plus scores.