Top 5 South Africans to have played in the IPL

#1 AB de Villiers

AB's innovative batting is something to marvel at

The embodiment of innovation, AB de Villiers' ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground has made bowling to the South African marauder a back-breaking task.

The dashing right-hander started his IPL career with the Delhi Daredevils but endured a horrific inaugural season, scoring just 95 runs from 6 matches. He found his bearings in the following season though, finishing as the third-highest run scorer with 465 runs from 15 games at a strike rate of 130.98.

AB then shifted teams to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 and started off with two moderate seasons by his lofty standards, scoring 312 runs (2012) and 319 runs (2013), albeit at a high strike rate.

In 2013, he made 360 runs from 14 games at a good strike rate of 164.38 and in the ensuing season, his destructive batting came to the fore, making him an indispensable part of RCB's middle order.

Seasons eight and nine saw a resurgence of sorts. Scoring his first ever IPL century, against Mumbai Indians, AB powered his way through, amassing 513 runs from 16 matches. He bettered that feat in 2016 with 687 runs from 16 matches at a stunning average of 52.84 and strike rate of 168.79, leading RCB to the final.

The landmark 10th season of the IPL did not see the best of the South African, as he could only muster 216 runs from 9 matches owing to injuries which kept him out of the opening games of the season.