AB De Villiers retires: Four foreign batsmen who can replace SA legend at Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022

Bengaluru, November 19: AB de Villiers has on Friday (November 19) announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket. So, we will not see a AB Show in the IPL 2022 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, a big part of the RCB and the IPL eco system since 2011.

It is impossible to replace someone as prolific and talented as AB de Villiers. But the RCB will perforce have to look for a replacement for the South African from the mega auction in December or January ahead of IPL 2022.

MyKhel takes a look at four foreigners who can fit into the shoes of AB de Villiers.

1. Shimron Hetmyer

The powerful West Indian left-hander now plays for Delhi Capitals. The 24-year-old Guyana man is a versatile batsman and is quite flexible in batting order too. For Capitals, he has played down the order and made some important contributions. He settles in the crease and then go for the broke in the last five overs, and that method has yielded a good amount of success for him. He is a very good presence in the outfield too. Don’t get fooled by his T20I strike-rate of 118.

2. Glenn Phillips

The New Zealand man is quite similar to AB de Villiers in terms of being a wicketkeeper batsman. He is born in East London, South Africa but plays for the Kiwis, so there is a scant SA connection too. He has appeared for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and hence has a feel of the atmosphere. Phillips plays regularly for CPL and the Hundred and come with the reputation of being a six-hitter. His strike-rate in T20s is over 140. The 24-year-old can be a good addition to the RCB stable.

3. Aiden Markram

The South African is a wonderful talent across the format for his country. In the IPL for Punjab Kings and in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2021, the powerful right-hander has showed his class. He can bat at No 3 or No 4 for the RCB just like De Villiers. From 20 T20Is, Markram has amassed 588 runs at a strike-rate in excess of 147 with six fifties. He is also a very handy operator with new ball through his military medium pace as it was showed in the T20 World Cup.

4. Liam Livingstone

The 28-year-old from England is truly versatile, a baby version of AB. He is a strong hitter of a cricket ball as he has showed in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals and has sufficient T20 experience across the globe with Pakistan Super League and the Hundred. Livingstone has played 14 T20Is for England so far and has made 252 runs at an astounding strike-rate of 165.78. He is also canny bowler who can bowl both off-break and leg-spin. In the T20 World Cup, Livingstong often bowled in the Power Plays and middle-overs, off-breaks to right-handers and leg-breaks to the left-handers. He could really add firepower to the RCB line-up.