Arguably one of the most skilled and innovative cricketers of all time, AB de Villiers needs no introduction when it comes to batting in limited-overs cricket. Boasting of a wide array of strokes and power to adequately back them up, De Villiers managed to tear into some of the most threatening bowling attacks in white-ball cricket.

Despite retiring from all forms of cricket last year, De Villiers remains a popular figure among cricket fans across the globe. Though his retirement left many fans shattered, De Villiers’ recent remarks hint at his return to the playing field, only this time as a mentor or coach.

Talking about his future, De Villiers claimed that he would cherish being a part of the Proteas setup. “I still believe that I have a role to play in SA cricket and also over there in the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB),” ABD was quoted as saying by Sunday Times.

“I have no idea what will come next but I will take it one day at a time and see. I have been looking after and mentoring some youngsters with potential and ability for the last few years. No one knows about it and hopefully, I can look back one day in the future knowing that I have made a big difference in the lives of a few players. That is my focus for now and I don’t know if it’s going to be professional or on a casual basis, but we will see where we go with that,” he added.

The South African great also spoke about the factors that led to his retirement. “I found myself on the park where scoring runs and doing well for the team didn’t really match with everything that goes with it anymore and that’s where the balance started leading towards hanging my gloves up,” he said.

“I have never been the guy who is going to push every single bit of energy of my ability and my cricketing skill, I have always played for the enjoyment of the game. And the minute that sort of started going down, I knew it was time for me to move on,” De Villiers concluded.

The 37-year-old had amassed 313 runs at an average of 31.30 in 15 matches he played for RCB in the IPL 2021 campaign. Having scored 5,162 runs in 184 matches, ABD remains sixth in the list of all-time run-scorers in IPL history. His strike-rate of 151.68 remains the best among top 20 run-getters in the T20 competition.