Published 16:17 IST, April 9th 2020
AB de Villiers' hit RCB debut on Apr 9, 2011 makes IPL team's fans nostalgic on Twitter
On April 9, 2011, attacking batsman AB de Villiers made his first appearance for Royal Challengers Bangalore after spending 3 years with Delhi Daredevils.
South African cricketer AB de Villiers made his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2011 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Since then, the attacking batsman has been part of the franchise and will once again be reprising his role in the now-postponed IPL 2020 season. Over the years, AB de Villiers has played many memorable match-winning knocks for RCB and continues to remain one of the primary mainstays of their batting order.
IPL throwback: AB de Villiers memorable RCB debut
On April 9, 2011, RCB faced Kochi Tuskers Kerala in their first match of the fourth IPL season. It was also AB de Villiers’ first appearance for the franchise as he represented Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the previous editions of the Indian T20 competition. On his debut itself, the right-handed batsman announced himself with a match-winning effort as he scored a pacey 54 from 40 balls against RP Singh and co.
AB de Villiers' innings was filled with one boundary and five sixes and he scored at a strike-rate of 135. He remained unbeaten till the end to ensure RCB reach their target with eight balls to spare. For his extraordinary effort, AB de Villiers was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
RCB gets nostalgic on AB de Villiers ninth anniversary
On April 9, 2020, AB de Villiers completed nine years of his first appearance with RCB. The franchise recently took to Twitter and commemorated the occasion by posting memories of his first match from the 2011 season. Fans of the franchise and cricketer replied with congratulatory messages while admiring AB de Villiers for providing much entertainment to them throughout the years.
Updated 16:17 IST, April 9th 2020