IPL 2023: ‘It felt weird…,’ AB de Villiers pens emotional note to RCB fans – Read

Former South Africa and RCB star AB de Villiers is loved all around the world and Indian fans also admire the batsman from the heart. ABD gained wild popularity in India during his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from which he retired at the end of 2021 season.

Recently, RCB announced the decision to induct de Villiers and Chris Gayle into their Hall of Fame as first two inductees and ABD wrote a heartfelt note on Instagram, reminiscing his playing days and love he got from the fans. 

“I don’t know where to start really.. So, March 26th 2023 Chris and I were inducted into the RCB hall of fame and our jersey numbers retired forever. My heart blossomed as my wife, two boys and little girl walked up the stairs to enter our RCB den, stairs that I have walked up so many times with butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It felt weird to walk up there in a different state of mind,” wrote de Villiers.

“Tears filled my eyes when I stepped on to the balcony of our dressing room at the Chinnaswamy in front of a packed stadium. I never thought hearing the chants of ABD could beat the first time, but this time was different. It used to be adrenalin combined with an extreme hunger to please the cry out of our fans to find a way to win, this time it was a sea of emotion that filled my body as I simply felt grateful to have had my time in the arena representing a proud city, an amazing franchise and incredible teammates,” he added.

“So many special memories rushed back as I thought of all my days spent in India since 2003, I have a deep connection with this country and its people. I’ll forever be grateful!. Thank you teammates, especially Virat, thank you RCB, thank you Bengaluru,” concluded the batsman.

Notably, de Villiers is second highest scorer for the RCB behind Virat Kohli with 4,522 runs in 157 matches. He previously played for Delhi from 2008 to 2010 before joining Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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