RCB playing 11 from AB de Villiers' first match for the franchise in 2011 - where are they now?

Former South African captain and batting legend AB de Villiers is celebrating his 40th birthday on Saturday, February 17. In an excellent career, he played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is. De Villiers scored 8,765 runs in Test matches, averaging 50.66, with 22 tons. In ODIs, he hammered 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of 101.09, with 25 hundreds.

Looking at his record in T20Is, the Proteas batter hit 1,672 runs at an average of 26.12 and a strike rate of 135.16, with 10 half-centuries. In his overall T20 career, he played 340 matches and amassed 9,424 runs at a strike rate of 150.13, with four hundreds and 69 half-centuries.

Speaking of T20 franchise cricket, De Villiers’ most fruitful association was with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League. He represented the franchise from 2011 to 2021, scoring 4,522 runs in 157 matches at an average of 41.1 and a strike rate of 158.33, with two tons and 37 half-centuries.

The right-handed batter made his debut for RCB against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in Kochi during the 2011 edition. De Villiers was the Player of the Match for his 54* off 40 balls as Bangalore registered victory by six wickets.

On the occasion of De Villiers’ 40th birthday, we look at where the other players who featured with him in his debut match for RCB are now.

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Openers: Mayank Agarwal, Tillakaratne Dilshan

Former Sri Lankan batter Tillakaratne Dilshan (Pic: Getty Images)

Mayank Agarwal went on to make his India debut in 2018 and has represented India in 21 Tests and five ODIs. He now represents Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL and captains Karnataka in domestic cricket. Agarwal was recently in the news as he was hospitalized after mistaking a liquid for water and drinking it on a flight.

Tillakaratne Dilshan played his last match for Sri Lanka in 2016. He ended a stellar career with 87 Tests, 330 ODIs and 80 T20Is, scoring over 17,600 runs. The former Sri Lanka all-rounder turned out for Bhilwara Kings in the Legends League Cricket in November-December 2023.

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Middle-order: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Saurabh Tiwary, Asad Pathan

AB de Villiers (left) and Virat Kohli (Pic: iplt20.com)

After being a key figure in India’s Test squad for nearly a decade, Cheteshwar Pujara has been in and out of the team lately. The 36-year-old last represented India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval in June 20223. He has been in good form for Saurashtra in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.

Virat Kohli continues to represent RCB although he has quit as captain. He remains one of the most consistent performers in international cricket and the Player of the Tournament for smashing a record 765 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He has skipped the ongoing Test series against England due to personal reasons.

Saurabh Tiwary recently announced his retirement from professional cricket. Jharkhand’s ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Rajasthan in Jamshedpur will be his last professional game. He played three ODIs for India between October and December 2010.

A hard-hitting batter who represented Railways, Asad Pathan played his last T20 match in 2016 and his last List A game in 2018. He played 34 T20s and 20 List A matches in his career.

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Bowlers: Zaheer Khan, Daniel Vettori, Dirk Nannes, Abhimanyu Mithun

Former Kiwi left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori (Pic: Getty Images)

After a stellar international career, Zaheer Khan retired in October 2015. In 2022, he was appointed Global Head of Cricket Development at the Mumbai Indians. He now works as an analyst and commentator.

Former New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori was captain of the RCB team in De Villiers’ debut match for the franchise. He has taken to coaching post-retirement. In May 2022, he was appointed assistant coach of the Australia men's team. In August 2023, Vettori was named head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, replacing Brian Lara.

Left-arm pacer Dirk Nannes, who represented both Australia and the Netherlands, played his last international match in October 2010 and his last T20 game in January 2015. He played for Australia Legends against India Legends in September 2022.

A right-arm pacer, Abhimanyu Mithun played four Tests and five ODIs for India, the last of which was in December 2011. The Karnataka cricketer retired from first-class cricket in October 2021, having claimed 338 wickets in 103 matches.