RCB in IPL 2023: Over the years, Proteas legend AB de Villiers established himself as one of the most loved overseas players among Indian fans and a huge credit for it goes to his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). De Villiers' strong association with the Bangalore-based franchise in IPL helped the South African batting legend gain immense love and respect from Indian fans as crowds often cheered for him even when he came out to bat against India.
Ab de Villiers entertained Indian fans for over a decade before announcing his retirement from IPL in 2021. Days after being inducted into the 'RCB Hall of Fame' alongside Chris Gayle, de Villiers penned a heartfelt note on Instagram to shower his love to RCB fans.
"I don’t know where to start really.. So, March 26th 2023 Chris and I were inducted into the RCB hall of fame and our jersey numbers retired forever. My heart blossomed as my wife, two boys and little girl walked up the stairs to enter our RCB den, stairs that I have walked up so many times with butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It felt weird to walk up there in a different state of mind.
"Tears filled my eyes when I stepped on to the balcony of our dressing room at the Chinnaswamy in front of a packed stadium. I never thought hearing the chants of ABD could beat the first time, but this time was different. It used to be adrenalin combined with an extreme hunger to please the cry out of our fans to find a way to win, this time it was a sea of emotion that filled my body as I simply felt grateful to have had my time in the arena representing a proud city, an amazing franchise and incredible teammates," wrote de Villiers.
Check below Virat and Anushka's reaction...
Ab de Villiers scored 4522 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL after playing a total of 157 matches, making him the second highest run-getter for the franchise.