‘You can’t compare me to Dhoni’ – AB de Villiers explains why he didn’t continue playing IPL like former India captain

AB de Villiers had a zany response on being enquired whether he would want to reverse his retirement and play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) once again. In a cheeky way, the former South African captain avoided being likened to MS Dhoni, who is still playing in the IPL at the age of 44.

De Villiers recently played the World Championship of Legends (WCL) tournament, where he slammed three centuries and finished as the highest run-getter. He scored a century in the final against Pakistan Champions to help South Africa Champions bag the title.

De Villiers hasn’t played in the IPL since 2021. When asked about a potential comeback to the cash-rich league for one more season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), de Villiers said that he would be nervous, making such a big commitment. He sarcastically mentioned that he worked much harder than Dhoni during his playing days.

“I’ll be too nervous. I think I’ll rather just support. I’m a very good supporter. The IPL is just very long and it is a three-month tournament. It’s a really big commitment for someone at the age of 41. You can’t compare me to Dhoni. I work a lot harder. I had a lot more hard work through the years. I’m just kidding. I’ll take my hat to them. But we’re all different. It depends. I gave it my best shot and I’m happy,” de Villiers said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.

Everyone loves RCB: AB de Villiers

De Villiers is one of the most loved cricketers in the world. Much of the love he garners stems from his association with RCB. The former South African cricketer said that it was great for him to see RCB fans in the United Kingdom, cheering for him during WCL 2025.

“Everyone loves RCB. We had a ground called Northampton, County Cricket Club, and as I arrived, there were a lot of RCB fans. I immediately picked up the chants. It was very cool to hear that again. Obviously, RCB are the current champions of the IPL, finally, for the first time, I am very happy to say that. It’s great to hear the chants even here in the United Kingdom,” he said.