AB de Villiers picks his 'Greatest T20 player' and its not his RCB mate Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the star Indian batsman, is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers in history. The right-handed player boasts an impressive batting average of over 50 in the white-ball format and, despite recent struggles in Test cricket, has remarkable numbers in red-ball cricket as well. Kohli is the all-time leading run scorer in T20I matches, with over 4000 runs to his name, and has also scored the most runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Kohli has played for RCB throughout his IPL career and is the only player to have featured in all the seasons of the tournament for the same franchise so far. He has played alongside former South African captain and star batter AB de Villiers, and the duo holds several IPL records despite not having won a title in over a decade. While Kohli still has a chance to add an IPL trophy to his list of achievements, De Villiers retired from the tournament in 2021.

Although De Villiers is widely considered one of the greatest white-ball batters of all time, he did not choose himself, Kohli, or his former RCB teammate Chris Gayle as the greatest T20 player of all time. Instead, he picked a 24-year-old Afghan all-rounder Rashid Khan for the title. Rashid Khan is known for his impressive performances in T20 cricket and has already made a significant impact on the game at a young age.

"My greatest T20 player of all time is none other than Rashid Khan. He delivers with bat and ball. Match winner in both departments; he is a livewire in the field and has got the heart of a lion. He always wants to win; he's very competitive, and he’s right there with one of the best T20 players. Not one of the best, the best," AB de Villiers said.

AB de Villiers' IPL career

AB de Villiers played a total of 184 matches in the IPL from 2008 to 2021. He joined the league in its inaugural year and played for Delhi Daredevils until 2010 before moving to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. At RCB, De Villiers forged a great bond with Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle. The trio just destroyed every bowling attack for several years. De Villiers scored 5162 runs in his IPL career at an average of 39.71 and with a strike rate of 151.69. He is among the highest run-scorers in tournament history.  

Image: BCCI