AB de Villiers lands in UAE, joins RCB camp for second phase of IPL 2021; See picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star player AB de Villiers has arrived in the UAE for the second leg of IPL 2021. The official Twitter handle of RCB shared a picture of De Villiers from the team hotel, where the former South African captain was seen giving a thumbs up to the camera. De Villiers has joined the rest of the available players in Dubai, who had reached the UAE late last month to start early preparations for the upcoming leg of the cash-rich league. Later this month, De Villiers will be joined by RCB skipper Virat Kohli after India's Test series against England is completed. 

De Villiers was crucial in RCB's success in the first half of IPL 2021 as he played an important role with the bat. De Villiers played in all seven matches for RCB in the first leg and amassed 207 runs at an average of 51.75, with his highest individual score being 76 not-out. De Villiers also played a vital role for the franchise with the gloves as he kept wickets in all the matches. Earlier last month, the RCB named a couple of replacements for the 2021 UAE leg, picking Sri Lanka's leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in place of Australia’s Adam Zampa, Singaporean-Australian cricketer Tim David in place of New Zealand’s Finn Allen, and Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera in place of Daniel Sams of Australia.

The franchise also announced Mike Hesson as its new head coach, confirming Simon Katich's unavailability for the second leg in UAE. Hesson was previously serving as the Director of Cricket Operations at RCB. The Virat Kohli-led side is ranked third on the points table, courtesy of five wins in seven matches earlier in the tournament. The RCB will play its first match against Kolkata Knight Riders once the season resumes in the UAE. 

IPL 2021

The IPL 2021 was postponed earlier this year due to the sudden outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus inside multiple camps. Several players and staff members belonging to Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad had returned positive COVID-19 tests, which prompted the BCCI to postpone the remainder of the tournament. The BCCI later announced that the tournament's second phase has been moved to the UAE, and the matches will resume on September 19. 

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