AB de Villiers reveals the biggest thing happened to him during his early IPL journey

There are a handful of cricketers who match the impact AB de Villiers had on the Indian Premier League (IPL) and very few overseas players dominated the tournament as he did. The former South African captain left his mark in every cricket tournament and format he played in and the IPL was no different. Some might even argue that the IPL is where he took it to the next level and still holds a lot of influence on the world's biggest T20 franchise tournament.

AB, 38, retired from international cricket in 2018 and announced his retirement from IPL and all formats of cricket in November 2021. He was part of IPL since its inaugural season in 2008 with Delhi Daredevils and then joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. During his glorious IPL journey, De Villiers scored 5162 runs from 184 innings at an average of 39.7 and a strike rate of 151.7.

I think of Glenn McGrath and the time I spent with him: AB de Villiers

The RCB stalwart, while sharing his early memories in IPL, talked about how the league changed his and other cricketers' lives. He said all the people connected to IPL are really passionate. AB also revealed that sharing a dressing room with Australian legend Glenn McGrath was the biggest stand-out thing during his early IPL days.

"It was a huge occasion for me and a lot of the other players. The start of the IPL changed our lives. The people are really passionate about cricket. Not only with the home team but they support members in other teams as well. The biggest thing that stands out for me are the people that I met. I think of Glenn McGrath and the time I spent with him. He was this hard guy and all of a sudden I am sitting with him in the changeroom and having a beer with him," AB told SA Cricket Magzine.

Both AB de Villiers and McGrath shared the dressing room at Delhi Daredevils for the first two seasons. The Australian pacer was at the end of an extraordinary career and was a big influence on young cricketers during the early IPL seasons. In the inaugural season, he was the most economical bowler in the entire tournament and announced his retirement from all formats of cricket after the 2010 edition of IPL.