AB de Villiers retired from all forms of cricket, including the IPL, in November last year. He had played in the IPL 2021, in which he showed his magic with the bat – 313 runs at an average of 31.30 while striking at 148.34 – while on multiple occasions bailed RCB out of trouble.
Overall, in his IPL journey – for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) and for Royal CHallengers Bangalore – de Villiers amassed 5162 runs at an average of 39.71, striking at 151.69 and slammed 3 hundreds. The 37-year-old, however, retired without an IPL trophy.
As RCB go into the mega-auction, after retaining Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj, they will be looking for a replacement of AB de Villiers in the role of a finisher.
Here are 5 options RCB may target to replace AB de Villiers in IPL 2022.
Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer is a highly talented young batter. He was the best batsman for the West Indies at the T20 World Cup and was one of the only two batter from his team to register a fifty in the difficult conditions in the UAE.
Hetmyer had an impressive season for the Delhi Capitals last year, scoring 242 runs at an average of 34 while hammering at a strike rate of 168. He performed the finishing role for the Capitals when even Rishabh Pant found the going tough. RCB may eye the 25-year-old in the mega-auction as a long-term replacement for AB de Villiers.
Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone is one of the most destructive batsmen going around currently. He strikes at 144 in T20 cricket, and while he’s played only 15 T20 internationals so far, he is a key player in the England line-up, not only for his powerful batting but because he is a valuable spin-bowling option who can bowl off-spin and leg-spin.
He has experience of 161 T20 matches in which he has smashed over 4000 runs. Livingstone, 28, slammed a terrific century against Pakistan last year in which he struck at over 200 strike rate.
David Miller
David Miller has long been carrying the reputation of being a fine finisher. He has been part of the IPL since 2012, and, though he has been inconsistent, the 32-year-old left-hander still can hit the ball long and far.
His game against pace has always been excellent – highlighted again in his 13-ball 23* against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup – Miller has also improved his attacking prowess while facing spinners – his recent knock against India in the third ODI underpinned this.
Rassie van der Dussen
A late bloomer in international cricket, Rassie van der Dussen has emerged as a new star for South Africa in white-ball cricket. van der Dussen has been in prime form over the last couple of years; he was also signed by Rajasthan Royals last season.
Rassie was South Africa’s leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup last year. In 5 innings he scored 177 runs at an average of 59 with a best pf 94*; he was not out a couple of times, adding finishing touches late in the innings.
Dinesh Karthik
Although Dinesh Karthik has been out of the national side for two years, he is still one of the best finishers in the country. Karthik’s form with the bat continues to be good – he recently struck a brilliant century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final – and is a superb wicket-keeper.
Not only a batsman-keeper, but Karthik could be a short-term option for RCB as a captain, too. He led KKR into the playoffs in 2018, and last year captained Tamil Nadu to the Syed Mushtaq Ali title.
