New Delhi: In what may come as a shocker to many fans across the globe, South Africa's swashbuckling batsman AB de Villiers is contemplating on skipping the cash-rich Indian Premiere League from 2016.
The cricket world was abuzz with rumours since Sunday when AB de Villiers spoke about his future plans on the sidelines of the ongoing first test between South Africa and England.
The 31-year-old said that his desire to play for South Africa had not diminished, suggesting that he would not be part of tournaments like the IPL anymore.
He told host broadcasters SuperSport: "There are a lot of rumours flying around I hear, but for the last two to three years, the only talk I've been doing is to keep myself fresh and to have a bit of rest here and there,” he said.
"If I play all the IPL (Indian Premier League) games the whole season, I do get a bit tired towards the end,” the South African batsman said.
De Villiers, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise, is one of the few foreign players who have managed to build a strong fan base in the annual cricket league.
He is popular among his fans for his 'out-of-the-box' hitting and his athletic fielding. In the year 2015, De Villiers has so far scored 513 runs from the 16 matches that he played at a whopping strike rate of over 144.
