IPL 2021: 3 of AB de Villiers’ best knocks against Mumbai Indians
AB de Villiers is regarded as one of the most explosive batsmen in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Along with captain Virat Kohli, he has been the most influential match-winner for Royal Challengers Bangalore with the bat over the years.
Despite his retirement, the South African legend remains one of the best in the T20 format of the game. Just a few months back, he played some incredible knocks in IPL 2020 in the UAE, winning matches for the franchise from near-impossible situations.
Three successive sixes off Jaydev Unadkat’s bowling in a match against Rajasthan Royals instantly come to mind.
The best of AB de Villiers against MI in the IPL
Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Mumbai Indians in the opening encounter of IPL 2021 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai tonight. In the build-up to the big game, here’s a rewind to the top three knocks of AB de Villiers against Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
#3 70 not out from 41 balls (7th match of IPL 2019 in Bengaluru)
This brilliant innings from AB de Villiers came in a losing cause. It did not deserve to. RCB were chasing 188 to win this contest and, thanks to ABD’s heroics, got tantalizingly close.
AB de Villiers hammered 70 from 41 deliveries with the aid of four fours and six sixes to give Mumbai Indians a scare. After Virat Kohli was dismissed for 46, AB de Villiers took on Hardik Pandya and Lasith Malinga and played some ferocious strokes.
The South African genius hit consecutive sixes off Malinga as RCB went into the last four overs needing 41. Two more sixes off Hardik brought the equation down to 22 from 12 balls.
Jasprit Bumrah and Malinga, though, got the yorkers right at the death to lift MI to victory despite AB de Villiers’ heroics. Bumrah was named man of the match for his brilliant figures of 3 for 20 as MI sneaked home by six runs.
#2 55 not out from 24 balls (10th match of IPL 2020 in Dubai)
The 10th match of IPL 2020 between RCB and MI was one of the games that went into the Super Over. There were many incredible performances in the match. Ishan Kishan announced himself with a spectacular 99. Kieron Pollard bludgeoned his way to 60 not out from 24 to take the match into the Super Over.
For RCB, Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch made compact fifties before AB de Villiers, not for the first time in the tournament, went completely berserk. He blazed away to 55 not out in only 24 balls, smashing four fours and as many sixes.
AB de Villiers whacked Bumrah for two sixes in an over - one over wide long-on and the other over the bowler - as the MI pacer had a rare day off. A slower ball from Trent Boult was launched over square leg for another maximum.
The RCB batsman brought up his fifty by launching Bumrah over square leg for another six in the penultimate over. Three sixes by Shivam Dube in the last over took RCB past 200. Navdeep Sainis’s brilliant Super Over then sealed the game for RCB.
#1 133 not out from 59 balls (46th match of IPL 2015 in Mumbai)
One of the greatest knocks in the history of the IPL, AB de Villiers bludgeoned the Mumbai attack en route to his scintillating 133 not out from only 59 balls.
RCB won the toss and decided to bat first in the game. After losing Chris Gayle for 13, Kohli and AB de Villiers featured in an unbeaten 215-run stand for the second wicket. Kohli’s 82 not out came off only 50 balls and included six fours and four sixes.
The RCB skipper’s knock, though scintillating in itself, was confined to the support act as AB de Villiers’ aggression was at a completely different level. He clobbered 19 fours and four sixes, scoring at a strike rate of 225.42.
No bowler could make an impression on AB de Villiers on the day. Harbhajan Singh was taken for 30 runs in his two overs, and Pandya was smashed for 51 in his three.
Bumrah too came second best in the wake of AB de Villiers’ sensational assault. He went for 52 in his four. AB de Villiers, in fact, brought up his hundred with consecutive sixes off Bumrah.
RCB posted a mammoth 235 for 1 and registered a comprehensive triumph, by 39 runs.