“Made the final, but didn't win it” - AB de Villiers on the best RCB side he played in

South African legend AB de Villiers picked the best Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side that he played in during his time in the IPL. De Villiers was roped in by the franchise in 2011 and spent 11 seasons with them till 2021.

On the 'Beard Before Wicket' podcast, AB de Villiers reckoned that the 2011 squad was the best RCB side he played in. They even made it to the final that year, but lost to the eventual champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

That season, RCB finished at the top of the table after the group stage with nine wins and 19 points from 14 games. They lost the first qualifier against CSK by six wickets but made it to the final by winning the second qualifier against the Mumbai Indians (MI). AB de Villiers mentioned that Chris Gayle, who came in as a replacement that season, also had a tremendous impact.

"Difficult to say. Chris Gayle arrived there, played a big role, and had a big impact. I think RCB in 2011, we had a good side and made the final but didn't win it," he said. (52:16)

The right-hander scored 312 runs from 16 innings in 2011, his debut season with RCB. Overall, he notched up 4491 runs from 156 matches at an average of 41.20 and a strike-rate of 158.64 with two hundreds and 37 fifties.

He also named CSK as the team he thought was the toughest to face in the IPL during his playing days. The RCB legend reckoned that it was tough to beat them at the Chepauk and also credited MS Dhoni for being a step ahead of others.

"From the other sides I think CSK with Dhoni in his heyday was tough to beat, especially at the Chepauk stadium. Going there was always tough. Never comfortable out there. You always felt like MS had one on you. One step ahead of everyone with his moves, his aura, his presence. That CSK side when they won back-to-back was tough to play against. Jaddu, and Ashwin, and Raina was pumping," he added.

Dhoni is among the most successful captains in the league. He led CSK to five IPL titles.

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AB de Villiers credits RCB for backing him

In the same conversation, AB de Villiers also credited RCB for backing him throughout the years. He recalled how he did not have a great time at the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), his first franchise.

AB de Villiers played three seasons for Delhi from 2008 to 2010 before he joined RCB. He revealed that the Bengaluru franchise did not worry about his experience and backed him.

"I was accepted and backed (at RCB). I didn't feel like that at Delhi, first three years. In and out of the side. No one's fault. I hadn't proven myself at that point. But I arrived at RCB and I was told you're going to play. You are one of our main dudes. We don't care what's happened in the past, you are a main guy. Players are insecure sometimes, and we want to feel backed. I felt backed. Beautiful city, great stadium. It just worked," he said. (50:41)

For Delhi, the right-hander played 28 games and scored 671 runs at an average of 31.95 and a strike-rate of 117.31 with a hundred and three fifties.