‘We tried to talk him out of retirement’ -  Mike Hesson talks about AB de Villiers announcing his IPL retirement

The upcoming sixteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is scheduled to begin on March 31, and many would be of the opinion that the tournament will not feel the same without the presence of the legendary batter, AB de Villiers - one of the greatest players to play in the tournament. The Protean featured in 184 IPL matches in which he notched up 5162 runs, and was an integral part of several of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s campaigns for majority of seasons.

Recently, RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson came forward to talk about the time when he had a conversation with de Villiers regarding his retirement after the 2021 IPL.

"We tried to talk him (De Villiers) out of retirement, 100 percent, because he is a genius. We were planning things for the year ahead, and to get that phone call was pretty tough to take. But after a point, you realise that you have to respect the decision he took, and it will be pretty wrong on my part to push him past a point," Hesson said in the RCB podcast.

ABD will always be a part of RCB: Hesson

AB de Villiers will definitely be missed, as was the case in 2022 as well. Being one of the fan favourites, the unorthodox shots and the dominance that de Villiers had on the pitch were second to none.

Hesson also talked about how de Villiers could be involved with RCB in the forthcoming editions of the IPL. "ABD will always be a part of RCB, and we will try to get him back into some involvement that suits him and suits us as well. We know how much he loves RCB and his relation with Virat," Hesson said.

In the upcoming 2023 IPL, RCB will be under Faf Du Plessis’ leadership and will hope that their fortunes turn around this time. It is yet to be seen how de Villiers will remain a part of the franchise, but fans will surely be excited to see one of the greatest players in IPL history fulfil a different role.