AB de Villiers Reflects on Challenging Times with Delhi Daredevils
AB de Villiers Discusses His Time with Delhi Daredevils
AB de Villiers has shared insights about his experiences with the Delhi Daredevils, describing the team as having 'toxic personalities' that created a difficult environment. These comments come nearly 15 years after he departed from the franchise. The South African cricketer, who later found success with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), was part of Delhi during the initial seasons of the Indian Premier League.
In a candid interview with cricket.com, de Villiers expressed his thoughts.
“I would hate to give you names. Burning people, you know. But Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. I mean, it was. There were lots of poisonous characters on that side.”
He described his time there as a mix of positive and negative experiences, noting that while he cherished some moments, the overall atmosphere was challenging.
“Lots of legends. So it's such a bittersweet moment for me because I speak… I remember it fondly. And some of the highlights of my life and career were there, spending time with Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori. That's where we got close. So from those highs to also realizing that there were some cancerous characters inside and no need to mention names. So, it was a very bittersweet three years for me. Also, I wasn't backed as I would have liked to.”
AB de Villiers’ Transition to Royal Challengers Bengaluru
De Villiers made his IPL debut in 2008, scoring only 95 runs in six matches. However, his performance improved significantly in the following season, held in South Africa, where he amassed 465 runs in 13 innings, averaging 51.66. This impressive display made him the top scorer for his team and the third highest in the league.
Despite his strong performance, the Delhi franchise opted not to retain him in 2010, leading to his acquisition by RCB during the auction.
“I enjoyed Shippy (Greg Shipperd) as the coach from New South Wales… and he backed me a little bit, but also I didn't perform as well as I wanted to, but I never felt like I was going to get more than 3 games, for instance. And for a youngster, it's a tough situation to be in. 2009 was nice. I played almost the entire season there in South Africa, came back, I thought I was going to be the man. All of a sudden, not playing again. So it was really mixed feelings. Told I was going to be retained, and in the next minute, I see I'm in the auction. I didn't know what even happened. So weird things happened.”
De Villiers' eventual transfer to Royal Challengers Bengaluru marked the beginning of his rise to stardom in the IPL. Over 170 innings, he scored 5,162 runs at an average of 39.70, including three centuries and 40 fifties, with a remarkable strike rate of 151.68.