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AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli in IPL (BCCI Photo)
AB de Villiers did not commit to returning as Royal Challengers Bengaluru coach or mentor but he did admit that he is not going to shut any doors.
South African legend AB De Villiers revealed that he is open to making a comeback to his former IPL team Royal Challengers Bengaluru in future but in a different capacity.
RCB has not won even a single trophy since its inception and the desperation is increasing every year. They again failed to win a trophy after they lost to Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator of IPL 2024.
Even though they have remained trophyless, RCB has always managed to get big names into their squad every year, with only Virat Kohli remaining the constant one. The likes of Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Yuvraj Singh, Travis Head, Quinton De Kock, Mitchell Starc and many others have represented the team over the past 16 years.
Out of all these names, AB De Villiers is probably the only one, after Virat, who is considered as a synonym to the RCB franchise. The on-field partnership and the off-field friendship between Virat and AB is one of the most talked about things when it comes to this franchise.
The South African legend has represented RCB in 157 matches over the course of 10 years, scoring 4522 runs with an impressive strike rate of 158.
‘Unlikely for me to not feature…’
De Villiers announced his retirement from IPL on 19 November 2021 following the conclusion of the 14th edition of IPL. Ever since then, fans have been wanting to see him back in the RCB dugout in a role of a mentor or a coach.
But will he return?
“I think it will be unlikely for me not to feature there at some stage,” the JioCinema expert told News18 Cricketnext in an Exclusive conversation.
“But never put your finger on anything. I’ve learned that over the years. You can’t commit to anything when you’re not 100 per cent sure,” the South African legend said.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure where I’m going to be in five years from now. Where I’m at in my life now is a bit of a transitional phase from cricket to a father, to a bit of business, to a bit of commentating, to a bit of appearances and sponsorship deals. I’m just trying to sort of do that transfer and see what it’s like,” he added.
ALSO READ | AB De Villiers on Being Team India’s Head Coach: ‘Never Say Never…’
‘Not shutting any doors’
Even if he may not have said a straightforward yes to the thought of returning to the RCB camp, he did admit that he is not going to shut any doors on that prospect.
“And then as life moves on, I think opportunities will open up. I’m not going to shut any doors. I’m not opening any doors up as of yet because I don’t think it’s ripe yet,” the Protea said.
“But when that time comes around and it feels right in my heart and also the desire from the franchise is still there at that time, then great. I think those discussions will take place. But it’s impossible to commit to anything now,” he added.
Last year in 2023, AB De Villiers was inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame for his contributions to the team from 2011 to 2021.
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