AB de Villiers lauded for touching message dedicated to fans after Dream11 IPL 2020

AB de Villiers has been a permanent figure in many of the leaderboards at the Dream11 IPL over the years. The 36-year old South African has been a mainstay of the Bangalore side since 2011. He started his journey in the league with the Delhi side all the way back in 2008 but didn't get off to the best of starts.

de Villiers made 95 runs from 6 games in 2008 and 111 from 7 games in 2010 before being cut from the team. With his entry into the Bangalore team, ABD's fortunes rose and it is clear that he has developed an emotional bond with the team and the fans. 

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AB de Villiers' message from Bangalore fans after exit

After a brilliant season at the Dream11 IPL 2020 that saw Bangalore get tantalizingly close to the converted trophy, veteran batsman AB de Villiers has posted a series of pictures along with a thank you note for the team and their unconditionally supportive fans. Bangalore missed out on a spot in the finals after losing the Eliminator to David Warner and his Hyderabad team. Despite this, this has been a dream run for the side, who finished the 2019 season at the last spot.

Bangalore's best performance at the Dream11 IPL came in 2016 when the team reached thier first and only final in the history of the tournament. Even then, they were closely defeated by Hyderabad by a margin of 8 runs. This year, a spate of bad games towards the end of the season made even a playoffs spot doubtful for Bangalore but they managed to edge into the Eliminator at the fourth place. De Villiers made 56 off 43 and took three catches in the last game, but was unsuccessful in taking the team through. 

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AB de Villiers Dream11 IPL stats

AB de Villiers finished the Dream11 IPL 2020 as the 9th highest scorer in the tournament (this is subject to change at the end after tomorrow's final). He made 454 runs from his 15 games at the series at a strike rate of 158.74 (the best among the top 10 run scorers). His average at the tournament was 45.40 and his best score was 73* against Kolkata. ABD's vital role in his team is evident by the fact that he is the third-highest scorer for Bangalore this season after youngster Devdutt Padikkal and captain Virat Kohli. 

Overall, ABD is No.6 in the highest run-scorers list, with 4849 IPL runs from 169 matches. He has a brilliant 3 IPL centuries to his name and 38 half-centuries in his IPL career at a strike rate of 151.91 (again, the highest in the top 10 through the seasons). The No.1 position on the list is occupied by ABD's close friend and captain Virat Kohli, who has made a mind-blowing 5878 runs from his 192 games in the tournament. 

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Image Credits: AB de Villiers Instagram