IPL 2017: AB de Villiers Reveals Who He Thinks Can Win The Title This Season
May 2, 2017 at 11:54 PM
With his side well out of the race for a playoff berth in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bangalore star AB de Villiers has backed Mumbai Indians to lift the trophy this season.
The runners-up of the last year are languishing at the seventh position in the table after managing just five wins from 11 games. Right from the start of the tournament, the Virat Kohli-led side, which was tipped by many to go all the way this season, has been plagued with several issues.
The absence of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli in the early matches did not allow them to start the tournament on a good note while the poor form of Chris Gayle and Shane Watson have only elevated their miseries.
Not only that, they are also missing the services of KL Rahul and Sarfraz Khan, who have been ruled out of the entire tournament due to injuries.
Not surprisingly, they are still struggling to hit the right balance and it has totally reflected on their performance, as they have looked like a pale shadow of the team that used to terrorise the opposition with their powerful batting lineup.
“Unfortunately, this year we haven’t played well as wanted to, but I think there are some valuable lessons we have learnt throughout the season, I think we have let ourselves down a little bit in the last few games by not competing as well as we would have wanted to” de Villiers said at a promotional event in Mumbai, according to reports from PTI.
“I thought we were right in the game, which was great and that is the kind of thing you want, that you want to compete. I was hoping we could somehow find a way to pull it through but it wasn’t meant to be. We have a few more games left and hopefully will finish the season with dignity.” he added.
He further backed Mumbai Indians to lift their third IPL trophy. Rohit Sharma’s men are currently leading the points table after winning eight of their 10 games.
“I think they [Mumbai Indians] have got a wonderful team as well and they have got a really good chance of going all the way during this season,” the South Africa star said.
The 33-year old, who began his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils before moving to his current team in 2011, sounded pleased with the way his career has panned out with the Bangalore-based outfit.
“I started my IPL career at the Delhi Daredevils for the first three years, which was a very good experience and then moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore, and this is my seventh season with them now. I could not have asked for a better franchise to play IPL for,” de Villiers said.
“They are a very professional unit. The memories stand out for me. I have created some great memories over the last 10 years, the fans, the electric vibes in the grounds that we get, the friendships I have made in and around the team, the people who support us,” he added.
The explosive batsman concluded the interview by backing India to do well in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England.
“My next commitment after the IPL is the Champions Trophy something that South Africans would love to win. India won it last time in England and they will be ready for a strong campaign around this year as well,” he said.