IPL 2022: "I hope it's a big apartment" - AB de Villiers on RCB fans offering him places to stay in Bengaluru

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter AB de Villiers has talked about his special connection with the franchise, its fans and its home city Bengaluru.

In a trailer clip from the RCB podcast, AB de Villiers was told that fans in the city have offered him their apartments to live in, saying they are ready to take good care of him and his family. The South African cheekily replied that he hopes it's a "big apartment" because his three kids will "need a lot of room".

AB de Villiers went on to talk about how his connection with RCB is a lot deeper than just cricket, which wouldn't have been possible with any other franchise.

He said:

"I hope it's a big apartment because I have three kids now and we need a lot of room! My relationship with RCB goes a lot deeper than just playing cricket for them. And I don't think it would have been the same for any other franchise and that's what I hold dearest to my heart - it's the fans and the city itself."

AB de Villiers added that the Bengaluru air has always felt "familiar" to him, which he has never found in Mumbai, Delhi, or any other Indian city. He said:

"I have always connected with the places I go to. It's a bit weird but I remember smells and visual stuff I see. The minute I get into Bangalore there's a certain freshness in the air, a certain something that I sort of connect with that feels familiar. And I would never pick that up in any [other city]. I have thought about it long and hard - Mumbai, Delhi, if you put me in any other team I never would have had that kind of connection so that's one thing that I find special while playing for RCB."

After three years at Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), AB de Villiers moved to RCB in 2011. He retired 10 years later as the franchise's second-highest run-getter with 4522 runs at an average of 41.10, a strike rate of over 158 including 37 half-centuries and two hundred.

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"The IPL has changed my life in an amazing way" - RCB's Glenn Maxwell

In the same trailer, Australian all-rounder and RCB's 2021 signing Glenn Maxwell also talked about the impact the IPL had on his life.

He said he "owes a hell of a lot" to the league for bringing him closer to the people he's admired, making him culturally aware and improving him as a person and as an international cricketer.

Maxwell remarked:

"The IPL has changed my life in an amazing way that I've been able to meet some of my heroes, some of the people I have admired playing for, against, under. It's changed me as a cricketer, as a person. I wasn't as culturally aware as a young player coming to India. When I toured India this year (2021), it was the 24th time I have visited the country which is quite a few times in an eleven-year career..."

He added:

"I owe the IPL a hell of a lot because it has not only helped me be a better person but it's also helped me as an international cricketer. I've been able to adapt to situations I never thought I would ever see. The IPL exposes international players to those situations. With 10,000 net bowlers and helpers around that can help you out every training session and help you get better as a player."

The RCB retained Maxwell for the next three IPL seasons for ₹11 crore, alongside Virat Kohli (₹15 crore) and Mohammed Siraj (₹7 crore). The franchise will be built around them at the mega auction, which will be held on February 12-13.