‘He would not want to see Kohli or Maxwell score his runs’ – Kevin Pietersen on AB de Villiers’ poor run in IPL 2021 UAE leg

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen said that Royal Challengers Bangalore’s AB de Villiers must be itching to find his rhythm in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. The 27-year-old De Villiers was impressive when the tournament took place in India as he notched two half-centuries with a top score of an unbeaten 76, but has looked a tad off colour in the UAE leg.

In his last five outings in the IPL, the veteran has scored a mere 30 runs at an average of 7.50. Pietersen, who also played for RCB during his heydays, reckoned that the Pretoria-born De Villiers won’t be happy seeing the other batters like Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell score his share of runs in the T20 league.

What he has done for the IPL and RCB is incredible, says Kevin Pietersen

“He is an established player; he is a senior player. He would not want to see Kohli or Maxwell score the runs he is scoring. He must be thinking ‘I’m not holding my side of the bargain. This is just not the AB de Villiers that he is used to seeing,” Pietersen told Star Sports.

“He is a proud player; he is a fabulous player. We have seen that over a number of years. From his point of view, he would like to contribute. He would be hating the fact that he hasn’t been able to contribute. He has contributed so much to the world of cricket and in the IPL.

“If he gets three ducks in a row, it doesn’t matter. What he has done for the IPL and RCB is incredible. However, he would want to score,” Pietersen told.

In 11 matches in IPL 2021, De Villiers has notched 234 runs at an average of 33.42 and a strike rate of 161.37. Maxwell, Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have in excess of 300 runs each and have done the bulk of the scoring for the Challengers in the cash-rich league.

On Wednesday, RCB beat the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets and secured their seventh win in the ongoing edition. Kohli’s men are placed at third below Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings.

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