Will AB de Villiers play in T20 World Cup 2021? CSA come to final decision after talks

South Africa's AB de Villiers's international cricketing career may have come to an end after he announced his retirement from all forms of the game in May 2018, but he has shown no signs of slowing down and has played a number of scintillating knocks for his franchises in T20 leagues. After a fruitful stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021), it was speculated that the swashbuckling batter could come out of retirement to feature in the upcoming World T20. Cricket South Africa (CSA) recently shared a major update regarding the chances of the 37-year-old's comeback. 

Will AB de Villiers play in T20 World Cup? 

The dynamic batsman superlative performances post his retirement have often prompted calls of his comeback in the South Africa side. CSA director Graeme Smith had also spoken about the same on the Caribbean Cricket Podcast earlier this month where he had stated that he was hopeful of "free agents" AB de Villiers, Imran Tahir, and Chris Morris returning in South Africa colours next month for their West Indies series. However, the recent discussions between the cricket board and AB de Villiers seem to suggest otherwise. 

According to ESPNcricinfo, CSA has recently confirmed that the wicketkeeper-batsman will not be coming out of retirement and his decision of hanging his boots from international cricket remains final. This comes in a major blow for the cricketing nation as having the seasoned campaigner on their side would have significantly boosted their chances of putting up a strong show in the impending T20 World Cup. "Will AB de Villiers play in T20 World Cup?" While many fans were upbeat about the possibility of seeing their favourite star back in the Proteas team, it is unlikely that the wicketkeeper-batsman would don the national colours once again as per the latest reports. 

AB de Villiers retirement 

AB de Villiers had put down his papers back in 2018 as he announced international retirement following a Test series against Australia. The AB de Villiers retirement news had shocked cricket enthusiasts across the world. Many opined that he should have carried on playing for his country considering his stunning form. The former South Africa captain had even expressed his desire of representing the national team once again on multiple occasion.

The cricketer had spoken about the same during the latest edition of IPL as well. He had revealed that he said that he was in touch with South African team coach Mark Boucher and his return to international cricket is being discussed. 

AB de Villiers IPL 2021 journey 

The right-hander has been an integral part of the RCB side in the cash-rich league over the years. The player chipped in with phenomenal performances for his franchise in the latest season as well. The player wooed fans with his magnificent strokeplay as he contributed with a number of match-winning performances for the Virat Kohli-led side. As far as the AB de Villiers IPL 2021 stats are concerned, the veteran amassed 207 runs from 7 matches at a fabulous strike rate of 164.28.

AB de Villiers stats in international cricket 

The batsman has featured in 114 Test matches for South Africa in his career. He has accumulated 8765 runs in the longer format and has 22 centuries to his name. When it comes to white-ball cricket, de Villiers has scored 9577 runs in 228 ODIs with 25 centuries and 1672 runs in 78 T20Is.

AB de Villiers net worth details

According to caknowledge.com, the AB de Villiers net worth is estimated to be around INR ₹148 crore approximately. He earns a net annual income of approximately INR ₹22 crore. Apart from the Indian Premier League, the player also takes part in several global franchise-based T20 competitions and earns lucrative salaries for the same. He takes home a handsome paycheck of INR ₹11 crore per season for representing the RCB side in IPL. AB de Villiers also rakes in money from his endorsement deals. Some of the brands that he has had associations with are Audi, Puma, Mont Blanc, and MRF among others.

DISCLAIMER: The above-mentioned AB de Villiers net worth information is sourced from various websites/media reports. The website does not guarantee a 100% accuracy of the figures.

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