(Cricket news) The adopted son of India AB De Villiers has announced his retirement from the game, which means Mr IPL himself will no longer be associated with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He bows out as the only overseas player to feature in all editions of IPL, he retires as the sixth highest run getter in the tournament and one of the two overseas players to scale the mountain of 5000 runs. Records aside when he came onto the field, the presence of him put a chilling effect on the opposition and captain, that arguably makes him the GOAT not only in the IPL but also in the T20 format as well. 

In a sense AB De Villiers revolutionized the way we approached playing T20 cricket, not only with his batting skills but also always keeping the bowlers guessing where to bowl to him because he had all the shots in his arsenal. In an extreme version of the game like T20, where one has to keep the scoring rate in tact, De Villiers defied all odds and achieved remarkable consistency as he merged class with timely aggression. 78 players have scored 1000+ career runs in IPL and of those 78 only five players have managed to achieve the double of averaging 35+ and scoring at a rate of 140 runs per 100 balls. Of the five the only one to play more than half as many innings as much as De Villiers is Gayle.

De Villiers who quit international cricket in 2018 was willing to come out of retirement and play in the 2019 World Cup and help South Africa that time as they were struggling to produce some top talent, this tells a lot about him as a person and his willingness to sacrifice, something that we have seen the entirety of his career. A talisman in own craftsmanship always used to put his team ahead of his individual accolade, be it if he had to keep wickets or bat lower down the order or even sacrificing his place for upcoming youngsters. His contribution in cricket is immense and soon youngsters will follow in his footsteps to greatness. He not only changed the dynamics of playing cricket but also made it fun and memorable for young cricketing fans like me. Surely not having ABD chants in the stadium and his presence of not being around will be missed by all the cricket lovers from around the world.

Apart from his international T20 appearances and playing for RCB and Delhi in the IPL, De Villiers has also represented Barbados Tridents, Brisbane Heat, Lahore Qalandars, Middlesex, Rangpur Riders, South Africans, Titans and Tshwane Spartans in T20 cricket. He has ended his T20 career with a total of 9424 runs in 340 matches, with 59 fifties and 4 hundreds. De Villiers's first-class career lasted for 141 matches in which he scored 10689 runs while amassing 11123 runs in 263 List A games.

Also read: Best player of our times: Kohli sums up de Villiers' greatness

"I have had a long and fruitful time playing for RCB. Eleven years have just whizzed by and leaving the boys is extremely bittersweet. Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time, but after a lot of contemplation, I've decided to hang up my boots and spend quality time with my family, I would like to thank the RCB management, my friend Virat Kohli, teammates, coaches, support staff, fans, and the entire RCB family for showing faith and supporting me all through these years. It has been a memorable journey with RCB. Have so many memories on the personal front to cherish for the lifetime. RCB will always be very close to me and my family and will continue to support this amazing team. I will be a RCBian forever." said De Villiers in a statement