IPL 2021: “He is timeless” – Brian Lara on AB de Villiers for his match-winning knock

Brian Lara was effusive in his praise for AB de Villiers after the South African player guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2021 opener.

AB de Villiers’ blistering 27-ball 48 helped RCB chase down MI’s 160-run target. The South African batted brilliantly, almost taking his team home, before getting out with two balls remaining.

Analysing AB de Villiers’ stunning knock during a Star Sports show, Brian Lara praised the 37-year-old for his game awareness and shot selection while keeping his cool in a tense situation.

“He is timeless. He has got the experience. IPL is the only form of cricket he is playing at the moment. I suppose he is keeping fit and ready for it. At this stage, when they lost Virat Kohli, RCB needed him to come good. He was explosive at the right time; he controlled the game. He came in after Glenn Maxwell as well; he controlled the game and got them home,” said Lara.

WE HAVE NO WORDS. 🤯🙏🏻#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #MIvRCB #DareToDream pic.twitter.com/wcWa4DfYUi

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 9, 2021

AB de Villiers came out to bat at no. 5 after new signing Glenn Maxwell. The South African arrived in the middle when RCB were 98/3, needing 62 off 45 balls. However, he had to contend with wickets tumbling around him and a mounting asking rate, as RCB lost three wickets in the next four overs.

But AB de Villiers kept his calm and picked his moments to keep the scoring rate in check. His late flourish brought RCB to the cusp of victory, as the Bangalore-based franchise started their IPL 2021 campaign with a win over the defending champions.

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best death bowlers, but AB de Villiers went straight after him: Matthew Hayden

AB de Villiers v Jasprit Bumrah in T20:99 runs70 balls2 wicketsThis match may well come down to a head-to-head between the two greats of the game. #MIvRCB #IPL2021

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 9, 2021

One of the many aspects of AB de Villiers' brilliant show against MI was how he handled Jasprit Bumrah at the death.

With the equation for RCB reading 19 off 12 balls, Bumrah, known for his death-bowling prowess, came on to bowl the penultimate over. The Mumbai Indians spearhead had an economy rate of 4.66 at that point. But AB de Villiers took the attack to Bumrah, smashing him for two boundaries in the first three balls to bring down the equation to a run-a-ball.

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden praised AB de Villiers for tackling Bumrah head on at the death and helping his team start their IPL 2021 campaign on a winning note:

“The mark of a great player is how they take on other great players. Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best death bowlers; he has been for quite some time in this tournament. But ABD went straight after him, straight on the front foot and those 12 runs in the 19th over is where Mumbai Indians came short,” Hayden observed.

AB de Villiers, with a Match Impact of +22, is the CricViz Player of the Match. The veteran's class was the difference between the two sides in a Chennai thriller. #MIvRCB #IPL2021

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 9, 2021

RCB will look to continue their winning start to the tournament when they take on KKR in their second match on Tuesday in Chennai.