"Delhi Daredevils didn’t back me enough.." AB de Villiers says poisonous characters left franchise in shambles

AB de Villiers played 28 games for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in the IPL from 2008-2010.

Regarding his tenure with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), former South African captain AB de Villiers has made an open and unexpected admission. The Indian Premier League (IPL) legend recently talked about his early days in the competition and how, despite having a stellar roster, the team battled on the inside.

De Villiers, who played for DD from 2008 to 2010, provided a unique look into the dysfunction that went on behind the scenes but refrained from naming specific players.

The team, which included cricketing titans like Daniel Vettori, Glenn McGrath, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, and Virender Sehwag, fell short of expectations. The team never really clicked, even though they made the playoffs in the first two seasons.

“A lot of poisonous characters in that team”- AB de Villiers on his time in Delhi Daredevils

De Villiers started his IPL career with DD, playing in 28 games over three seasons. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bought him at auction in 2011 and kept him there till his retirement in 2021.

“I’d hate to give you names-burning people, you know-but the Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. There were a lot of poisonous characters in that team.“

“There were lots of legends, which make it a bittersweet memory for me. I still remember those times fondly. Some of the highlights of my life and career came during that stint-especially spending time with guys like Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori. These were my heroes growing up, and I was honestly a bit scared of them,” De Villiers told cricket.com.

His efforts in South Africa in 2009 were steady, but the following year were frustrating. He eventually left the team due to disenchantment brought on by a lack of playing time and uncertainty about his purpose.

“2009 was nice. I played almost the entire season in South Africa, came back, and I thought I was going to be the man. Then, all of a sudden, I wasn’t playing again. It was mixed feelings. I was told I would be retained, and then the next minute, I saw myself in the auction. I didn’t even know what had happened. So many weird things went on,” he added.

De Villiers’ IPL career took a drastic change in 2011 when he joined RCB. His new staff made him feel at home right away, which provided the support he had been lacking.

“The day I walked into RCB, I felt like they wanted me to play every game. I was so surprised. They just went, ‘You’re the man. You’re going to grow here. You’re going to become a great player with us-you’re part of the family.’ Done and dusted,” De Villiers signed off.

His entertaining and rather original style of cricket, along with his statistical achievements in the field and with the bat, made him a true legend of the league, despite the fact that he was unable to lead RCB to a championship.

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