AB de Villiers hasn’t lost his touch despite not playing a competitive match since the opening phase of the IPL 2021.
On Tuesday, the 360-degree batter smashed a hundred in an intra-squad practice match.
In the encounter between Harshal Patel’s XI and Devdutt Padikkal’s XI, AB, who had arrived in the UAE earlier this month, blasted 104 runs off only 46 balls.
AB began cautiously and ultimately broke the bonds
On a hot and humid day, AB began with caution. He only gave up 19 runs in his first 19 pitches.
The 37-year-old ultimately broke free, scoring 104 runs off only 46 balls.
From the other end, he was backed up by Kerala batting prodigy Mohammed Azharuddin.
The youthful wicket-keeper-batter hit 66 runs off 43 balls.
The objective was pursued by Padikkal’s XI
After 20 overs, Harshal Patel’s XI had amassed a massive 212/4.
Devdutt Padikkal’s XI, on the other hand, managed to chase the score down with seven wickets remaining.
Kona Srikar Bharat stood up as the team’s standout player.
He led the run chase with an incredible 95 off 46 balls. His innings featured four sixes and eleven fours.
Padikkal, the skipper, also hit 36 off 21 balls.
In the first half, AB scored at a strike rate of 164.28
AB was on fire in the first half of the IPL 2021.
He scored 207 runs in seven matches, averaging 51.75 runs per game. He had a mind-boggling strike rate of 164.28.
He had two half-centuries to his name.
AB and Glenn Maxwell, who was promoted to number three, were even more lethal.
The duo was instrumental in RCB’s success.
The third-fastest batsman to reach 5,000 IPL runs
AB became the third-fastest batsman in IPL history to reach 5,000 runs (161 innings) earlier this year, trailing only David Warner (135 innings) and Virat Kohli (157). AB now has 5,056 runs at an average of 40.77 from 176 matches. Three hundred are included in the total.
The Royals will resume their season on September 20
The rest of the IPL season will begin on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates.
The 30th match will feature a clash between the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians.
Meanwhile, the Royal Challengers Bangalore will start their season on September 20 against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The team headed by Virat Kohli is now third in the points standings, with five victories and two losses (NRR: -0.171).