“Maybe for his final season we'll give him a wonderful farewell” - AB de Villiers on possibility of Indian superstar playing SA20
South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has stated that it would be wonderful if Indian stars like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli played in SA20 during their farewell season. He quipped that both the Indian greats would be taken good care of in South Africa.
The second edition of SA20 will be played from January 10 to February 10. The South African league features six franchises, with all of them acquired by IPL team owners. However, despite the IPL connection, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not deviated from its policy of not allowing contracted players to play in overseas franchise leagues.
In an interview with Hindustan Times Digital, though, De Villiers expressed hope that things might change in the near future. Responding to a query on SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith personally wanting to reach out to Dhoni and the possibility of Kohli playing the league, the former Proteas batter commented:
“(Laughs) I think it would be very possible to get Virat over here. Maybe for his final season we'll give him a wonderful farewell for the end of his career. I haven't discussed it with any players except for Robin Uthappa and R.P Singh. Not so long ago, we did some work together and I told them it would be great to see them over there. It doesn't look like it's meant to be for season two, but I'm very sure season three and onwards we'll see that Indian influence over there."
“Not sure who we will get, but it's definitely worth trying to get guys like MS and Virat perhaps playing in their final seasons there. We'll look after them, you know,” he remarked.
De Villiers and Kohli formed an incredible partnership in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) both on and off the field. The former retired from all formats of the game in November 2021.
“I feel it's the second-most popular league outside of the IPL” - AB de Villiers on SA20
Sharing his thoughts on SA20, the former Proteas captain opined that it's the second-most popular league after the IPL.
Asked whether he would like any IPL-like ideas implemented in SA20, De Villiers replied:
“I just think more entertainment, more dancing, more screaming, more singing. We're on the right track. The quality of cricket is fantastic. The crowds are coming in. It's now just to make it louder and better.”
Sunrisers Eastern Cape were the winners of the inaugural SA20. They beat Pretoria Capitals by four wickets in the final at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.