AB de Villiers is one name you often notice among the most consistent batsmen across all formats of cricket, and when it comes to the Indian T20 League, the former Proteas cricketer is nothing short of a legendary figure.
The 37-year-old de Villiers, who can play either in the top or middle order, made his T20 debut in 2004 against the Imperial Lions, is the second-highest overseas run-getter in the Indian T20 league with 5056 runs in 177 matches.
AB de Villiers has plied his trade for franchises all over the world having represented eight teams in his T20 career - Titans, Delhi, Bangalore, Barbados Tridents, Tshwane Spartans, Rangpur Riders, Lahore Qalandars, and Brisbane Heat - and has grown into a cult figure at Virat Kohli-captained Bangalore for his spectacular batting and fielding displays.
In his first three seasons with Delhi in the Indian T20 League, de Villiers tallied 671 runs but his worth took a considerable leap after joining Bangalore in 2011. Since his debut for the 2016 Indian T20 League finalists, the South African has averaged approximately 400 runs per season which is a sizable record in itself.
Considered a prized scalp for any bowler, only a few have managed to dismiss AB de Villiers multiple times in T20s and here we take a look at those select bowlers.
Bowlers who dismissed AB de Villiers the most in T20 cricket
Ravichandran Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo have dismissed AB de Villiers five times in T20 cricket. While the majority of Ashwin’s dismissals of de Villiers have come in the Indian T20 League, Bravo has made Mr. 360 his bunny from meetings in the World T20, Indian T20 League and the Caribbean Premier League.
| Bowler | Dismissals |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 5 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 5 |
| Kieron Pollard | 4 |
| Krunal Pandya | 4 |
| Piyush Chawla | 4 |
| Shreyas Gopal | 4 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 4 |
AB de Villiers has predominantly struggled against spinners, with as many as five spinners grabbing his wicket on more than four occasions. In the Indian T20 League 2021 alone, de Villiers has been dismissed thrice in eight games when facing a spin bowler (one run out, one caught dismissal and one bowled dismissal).
Having already tallied 200 runs in the 2021 edition, fans can expect some fiery displays from AB de Villiers and help Bangalore to reach the final for the first time since 2016.
Featured photo: AFP / Manjunath Kiran
