Will AB de Villiers return to RCB in IPL 2023? Legendary South African batter gives big hint

Legendary South African cricketer Ab de Villiers has broken his silence on a possible return to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) camp in the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). de Villiers is not only among the finest cricketers of all time across formats but also regarded as the best batter in the 15-year-old history of the IPL by many cricket lovers.

After a three-season stint with Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) from 2008 to 2010; de Villiers was part of RCB for a long period of 11 seasons. After being purchased by the Bengaluru-based franchise in 2011, he stayed with them till the end of the 2021 season. Their association came to an end when the legendary cricketer announced his retirement from all forms of cricket ahead of the 2022 mega-auction.

Since the 2022 season, de Villiers has been linked with a return to RCB in 2023. The ex-South African captain finally broke his silence on the issue and confirmed he will return to the Chinnaswamy Stadium next season. However, he revealed it will not be a player but he wants to thank RCB fans for their incredible support and apologise to them for not winning a trophy.

“I will return to Chinnaswamy next year, not for playing but to apologise to all the fans for not winning the trophy and thank them for the support over a decade,” de Villiers said in a Twitter space hosted by himself. However, he ruled out any possibility of him playing the sport at the highest level again and explained the reason behind it. "I am not playing cricket again due to right side eye surgery,” added de Villiers.

RCB have not played a home game at Bengaluru's famous Chinnaswamy stadium since IPL 2019. However, they will return to the famous arena in 2023 as BCCI President Sourav Ganguly confirmed the home-away format will return next season.