South African cricket legend AB de Villiers has named the 2011 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad as the best team he played with during his IPL career. De Villiers joined RCB in 2011 and represented the franchise for 11 seasons, until 2021. Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, he said that the 2011 side stood out as the strongest RCB team of his tenure.
That year, RCB reached the final but were defeated by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). During the group stage, the team topped the table with nine wins and 19 points from 14 matches. They lost the first qualifier against CSK by six wickets but bounced back to secure a place in the final by winning the second qualifier against Mumbai Indians (MI).
De Villiers also highlighted the impact of Chris Gayle, who joined as a replacement that season, saying he made a significant contribution to the team’s success.
“Difficult to say. Chris Gayle arrived there, played a big role, and had a big impact. I think RCB in 2011, we had a good side and made the final but didn’t win it,” he said. (52:16)
In his debut RCB season in 2011, the right-hander scored 312 runs from 16 innings. Across 156 IPL matches, he amassed 4,491 runs at an average of 41.20, with a strike rate of 158.64, including two hundreds and 37 fifties. AB de Villiers also named CSK as the toughest team to face, praising their dominance at Chepauk and MS Dhoni’s smart captaincy.
“From the other sides I think CSK with Dhoni in his heyday was tough to beat, especially at the Chepauk stadium. Going there was always tough. Never comfortable out there. You always felt like MS had one on you. One step ahead of everyone with his moves, his aura, his presence. That CSK side when they won back-to-back was tough to play against. Jaddu, and Ashwin, and Raina was pumping,” he added.
AB de Villiers Credits RCB’s Support Throughout His Career
AB de Villiers credited RCB for supporting him throughout his career, recalling his difficult stint with Delhi Daredevils (2008–2010). He said Bengaluru backed him without worrying about his past performances.
“I was accepted and backed (at RCB). I didn’t feel like that at Delhi, first three years. In and out of the side. No one’s fault. I hadn’t proven myself at that point. But I arrived at RCB and I was told you’re going to play.”
“You are one of our main dudes. We don’t care what’s happened in the past, you are a main guy. Players are insecure sometimes, and we want to feel backed. I felt backed. Beautiful city, great stadium. It just worked,” he said. (50:41)
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