AB de Villiers, widely regarded as one of the greatest players for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has come under scrutiny—not for his performance, but for the way his talent was utilized by the IPL franchise. Former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar recently sparked debate by claiming that de Villiers, famously known as “Mr. 360,” was a misfit at RCB, accusing the team of curtailing his brilliance.
The conversation arose during a discussion on a sports channel, where Manjrekar was asked to compare de Villiers with Suryakumar Yadav (SKY). While Manjrekar praised both players, even giving Surya an edge in T20Is, he acknowledged that de Villiers was a far superior player in Tests and ODIs. However, the discussion took an unexpected turn when Manjrekar brought RCB into the picture, suggesting that the franchise failed to unlock the full potential of de Villiers in T20 cricket.
“I’ll say yes, because of the match-winning impact,” Manjrekar said when comparing Suryakumar and de Villiers in T20Is. “AB was incredible. But AB’s greatness was that he averaged 50 in Tests, even in one-dayers. So, he’s an amazing player. But only if you look at T20 cricket, I’ve seen both of them a lot. AB, in IPL, was not used properly—his real ability.”
Sanjay Manjrekar further elaborated, claiming that RCB’s strategies constrained de Villiers’ impact in the IPL. “In IPL, we didn’t get that much juice out of him. Definitely (he should have batted higher). And, sorry to say, but he played for the wrong franchise. If he had played elsewhere, we could have seen the greatness of AB de Villiers.”
Manjrekar’s comments have stirred debate among cricket fans, with some agreeing that RCB’s over-reliance on de Villiers and its inconsistent performances may have limited his impact in the shortest format. However, many fans argue that de Villiers was a game-changer for RCB and played some of the most memorable innings in IPL history.
The debate over de Villiers’ legacy in the IPL, and whether he was truly utilized to his potential, remains an open question for fans and cricket experts alike.
