5 Players who can replace AB de Villiers if he skips next season

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers recently bid adieu to all forms of international cricket. His sudden retirement announcement certainly jolted his fans and the South African cricket severely. Now, the next big question that the fans would be thinking of is how the talismanic batsman is going to take things forward from here. The questions are many. Will he continue to play T20 leagues? Will he play for RCB in the IPL next year?

The fan following that the cricketer has in India is unmatched. Even AB de Villiers has admitted that Bengaluru is like his second home. Albeit the Royal Challengers Bangalore management gave a massive update on his IPL future, the potential threat of AB pulling out of the IPL 2019 looms large.

He has the habit of taking the fans by surprise, and shock at times, and hence, it will be prudent for the RCB camp to actually start thinking of the players who could replace AB. Certainly, there is no player who can match the aura but they will need someone to fill the void. For the numbers, AB de Villiers had accumulated 3953 runs in the 141 IPL matches that he has played with 3 centuries to his name. Here we take a look at five potential replacements for AB in the RCB squad.

Here are the 5 players who can potentially replace AB de Villiers in IPL 2019:

Eoin Morgan – England

English limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan can be a very good replacement for AB de Villiers in the RCB camp. Morgan is known for his hard hitting abilities and can match the pyrotechniques of AB to some extent in the shortest format of the game. Morgan has played in the IPL before and hence, is pretty much aware of the conditions here.

Moreover, he has been very successful as a batter in the T20 leagues in the recent times. He was quite good in the BBL 2017-18 season. Over the years, AB and Virat Kohli have been shouldering the middle-order responsibilities of RCB. With Morgan in the side, there will be good experience in the middle order and that will help Virat promote himself as an opener as well.

Shaun Marsh – Australia

Shaun Marsh has great experience of playing in the IPL. He was the winner of the Orange Cap in the first edition of the tournament. Also, he is the first overseas uncapped player to score more than 500 runs in a single edition of the tournament. Till date, he has played in 71 IPL games and accumulated 2477 runs at a healthy average of almost 40.

His consistency is something that the RCB camp would want to pounce on. On his given day, Marsh can be very destructive with the bat and can overturn the fortunes of the game singlehandedly. He is certainly one of the top contenders to replace AB de Villiers.

Joe Root – England

English Test skipper Joe Root failed to get any bids at the IPL auctions this year. This was largely due to the notion that Root is not suited for the shortest format of the game. Well, if given a chance, he can pretty well turn out to do what Kane Williamson has been doing in the Sunrisers Hyderabad dugout.

Imagine how classy and elegant it would be to see Virat Kohli and Joe Root bat in tandem. Root averages almost 40 in T20Is and has a top score of unbeaten 90 to his name. In the ICC World T20 2016, he was one of the top performers for his side. Root will surely add value to any IPL side he plays for.

Hashim Amla – South Africa

It was indeed very surprising to see Hashim Amla get no bids at the IPL 2018 auctions. Amla has played for the Kings XI Punjab in a couple of seasons in the tournament. The Royal Challengers Bangalore can keep an eye on this veteran cricketer. He can be a very ideal replacement for AB de Villiers in the RCB lineup.

There is no doubt that he cannot match the hitting ability of AB de Villiers. But make no mistake, he can cover up for all that with his excellent strokeplay. For the ones who have forgotten who Hashim Amla is, he is the same cricketer who has hit two IPL centuries in his short IPL career.

Travis Head – Australia

Young Australian batsman Travis Head is very much capable of filling the void that could potentially be created if AB de Villiers skips IPL 2019. Travis Head has played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore before and hence, he will find it easier than others to gel with the RCB players. Last season, he had lit up the occasion in one of the fixtures with an unbeaten 75 to his name. Head is a T20 veteran at a young age of 24.

He has played 59 T20s, as on May 28, 2018, and has accumulated over 1500 runs. He has 8 fifties and a century to his name in the shortest format of the game. He has been a key player for the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL. His unbeaten 101 against the Sydney Sixers a couple of seasons ago remains the highlight of his career.

For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.