Known for his extraordinary batting across formats, AB de Villiers is loved widely in India for his time with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he played from 2011 till his retirement in 2021.
However, before going to RCB for $1.1m, he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for $300,000 where he spent the first three years of the Indian Premier League.
In his time at the national capital, he played 28 matches and scored 671 runs, including a century against the Chennai Super Kings in Durban.
📲 Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
However, despite doing decently in the given games and having some of his heroes alongside, he did not play a lot, and all was not well in the dressing room, according to him. This was
See what he had to say about his time with DD and RCB being polar opposite.
AB de Villiers on why he did not enjoy time at Delhi Daredevils
While speaking to cricket.com/tv, the former player spoke about the dream come true to be in the company of the likes of Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori, whom he had idolized before and sitting beside them and talking to them had him starstruck while speaking of his tough stint at DD.
"I would hate to give you names, burning people, you know. The Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. There were a lot of poisonous characters on that side," he revealed.
"I remember it fondly, and some of the highlights of my life and career were there. Spending time with Glenn McGrath and Dan Vettori — that's where we got close. These guys were heroes for me.
"I played against McGrath in 2006 in a Test, and I could hardly breathe and never spoke to him. The next minute, I am sitting here in 2008, and he sits next to me and goes, 'I like the way you play. I am like, (in awe) what's going on there?" he expressed the happy shock.
READ MORE: Cummins beats Bumrah to finish as highest wicket-taker of WTC 2025
He further explained how inconsistent the decision-making was in the DD dressing room, with problematic characters around and the lack of opportunities in the playing XI as a youngster.
"From those highs to also realizing there are some cancerous characters on the side, and no need to mention the names, but it was a very bittersweet three years for me. Also, I wasn't backed as I would've liked. I never felt like I was going to get more than three games there, and for a youngster, it's a tough situation to be in," he admitted.
The retired player also expressed his shock at seeing himself in the auction when he was promised to be retained.
"2009 was nice when I played the whole season in South Africa, and I thought next year, I would be the [main] man, but I am not playing again. Told I was gonna be retained, and the next minute, I see I am in the auction. Weird things happened."
AB de Villiers felt belonged at RCB
Further in the same interview, de Villiers called being released a blessing in disguise as he came to Bengaluru and immediately fell in love with the team and everything around, unlike DD.
"[Blessing in disguise] 100% and thank goodness, I arrived at RCB and immediately, the day I walked in, I realized, these guys want me to play every game. So surprised. They said, 'You are the man. you are going to grow here and become a great player. You are the part of the family,' done and dusted," he stated.
READ MORE: SL vs BAN 1st Test: Where to watch from India?
Mr 360 also shared an incident from one of the first times he met Virat and their conversation about taking on the league together.
"I felt part of the family, and obviously, Virat was there. He immediately grabbed me and said, 'The two of us are going to win games of cricket for this team.' So, from the trust point of view, I felt like I belonged and fell in love with the fans, people, city and everything and they started loving me as well. It was two-way," he concluded.