“I just didn’t feel the urge to play anymore” - AB de Villiers set to return to cricket in July 2025

South African legend AB de Villiers is all set to return to cricket with the second season of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) in July 2025. He will lead the Game Changers South Africa Champions in the tournament, which features retired and non-contracted legends of the game.

De Villiers was last seen in action during the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League, representing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). On the other hand, his last match in a South Africa shirt came in 2018 against Australia in Johannesburg.

The 40-year-old asserted that he has been feeling the urge to play cricket again and will hit the gym soon to prepare for the tournament.

"Four years ago, I retired from all cricket because I just didn’t feel the urge to play anymore," AB de Villiers said in an official statement. "Well, time has passed, and my young sons have started playing the game. We’ve been playing more and more often in the garden, and, well, it feels as though some kind of flame has been lit again."

"So I am heading back to the gym and the nets, and I’ll be ready for WCL in July," he added.

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"This is precisely why we launched the WCL" - Founder of World Championship of Legend on AB de Villiers' return to cricket

Harshit Tomar, the founder of the World Championship of Legends, expressed ecstasy with AB de Villiers' decision to join the tournament. He said that the main aim of the tournament is to bring the legends, whom everyone dearly misses, back to the cricket field.

"This is precisely why we launched the WCL – to bring back the legends we deeply miss. As a fan of AB de Villiers, I’m thrilled to see him return to the field. I’m sure cricket lovers in England and beyond will be delighted by his comeback," Tomar said in the aforementioned statement.

Led by Yuvraj Singh, India Champions emerged as the winners of the inaugural edition of the World Championship of Legends, beating the Pakistan Champions by five wickets in Birmingham.