AB de Villiers to play for Rangpur Riders in Bangladesh Premier League

AB de Villiers, who announced his retirement from international cricket in May 2018, has announced he will play for Rangpur Riders franchise in the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League beginning in January 2019.

Making the announcement on the official Facebook page of the Rangpur Riders, de Villiers said he was delighted to be playing in the Bangladesh Premier League. With de Villiers being selected for the Rangpur Riders, the squad composition looks imposing with the presence of Mashrafe Mortaza as the team icon and Chris Gayle, considered the legend of Twenty20s.

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The Rangpur Riders have been part of the Bangladesh Premier League since the 2013/14 season and the team secured their first title in 2017/18 when they defeated Dhaka Dynamites, with Gayle blasting 146* off 69 balls, a knock which included a world record 18 sixes.

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No international comeback

De Villiers stunned the world in May 2018 when he announced his international retirement. However, in the last couple of months, there have been rumours that the star batsman is thinking about making a comeback to the international arena.

However, in an interaction with Cricbuzz, de Villiers brushed aside those rumours. “No, there is no comeback. I made the mistake of saying ‘never say never’, which is a philosophy that I have always followed in my life. I was actually trying to say that I am focusing on the now, but it came out horribly wrong and the next minute there were headlines around the world. It will be very selfish and arrogant of me to throw statements around that I want to play at the World Cup. I am happy where I am and focusing on the now and I will never say ‘never say never’ again,” de Villiers said.

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The right-hander, considered to be one of the best batsman of the modern era, was nicknamed Mr.360 for his ability to score all around the wicket. He holds the record for the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODIs. He scored the fastest fifty off 16 balls and the fastest ton off just 31 balls during an ODI against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015. In the World Cup, he blasted the fastest 150 off just 64 balls against the Windies in Sydney.