AB de Villiers will always be remembered as a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon. The South African cricketer made his mark with the Bengaluru franchise alongside Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, playing from 2011 to 2021. However, his Indian Premier League (IPL) journey began earlier with the Delhi Daredevils (DD), where he debuted in 2008 and played until 2010.
Now, in a recent chat with Cricket.com, de Villiers made a startling revelation about his time with DD, speaking about the presence of some “poisonous characters” in that team — without naming anyone. Despite the bitterness, his stint also had bright moments, especially sharing the dressing room with legends like Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori.
“I would hate to give you names. Burning people, you know. But the Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. I mean, it was. There were lots of poisonous characters in that side. Lots of legends. So it’s such a bittersweet moment for me because I speak… I remember it fondly. And some of the highlights of my life and career was there, spending time with Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori,” de Villiers said.
“These guys were my heroes…” – De Villiers on playing with DD legends
For de Villiers, things went well enough at DD when he got the chance to play alongside legends. He spoke fondly of the respect and awe he had for McGrath and Vettori, admitting how intimidating it was to be around them initially.
“That’s where we got close. But these guys were my heroes and I was so scared of them growing up. Like McGrath. I mean, I played against him in 2006 in a Test match and I could hardly breathe, literally, and never spoke a word to him. And then in the next minute, I’m sitting here in 2008 and he sits next to me and goes, I like the way you play. I’m like, what’s going on there?” de Villiers said.
De Villiers had a short but notable stint with DD. In the three seasons he played, 2009 stood out as his best year — he scored 465 runs in 15 matches, including a brilliant unbeaten 105.
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