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South African great AB de Villiers has confirmed that he will be returning to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023 during an interview with VUSport. The 38-year-old, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) legend earlier announced his retirement from the cash-rich tournament in November. But, former skipper Virat Kohli dropped a hint on De Villiers' return, saying that he would be reuniting with the Bangalore-based franchise with whom he spent 11 years.
"I am glad to hear Virat confirmed it. To be honest, we haven’t decided on anything yet. I will definitely be around IPL next year. I am not sure in what capacity but I am missing getting back there,” De Villiers told VUSport.
“I have heard a little bird tweeting, saying that there might be some games in Bangalore. So I would love to return to my second hometown (Bangalore) and watch the full capacity stadium there at the Chinnaswamy again. I would love to return, I am looking forward to it,” he added.
De Villiers joined RCB in 2011 and played a crucial role in the franchise. Along with Kohli, the Proteas legend has won a lot of games for his team except for the coveted IPL trophy. Meanwhile, the franchise inducted De Villiers and another of their legendary players Chris Gayle into their Hall of Fame earlier this month.
RCB qualified for the IPL 2022 playoffs after five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) in their final league match of the season. The side now led by another Proteas legend in Faf du Plessis, will meet Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator on Wednesday, May 25, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans (GT) will play Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, May 24, at the same venue. Qualifier 2 and final are scheduled for May 27 and 29 respectively at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
