'AB was upset with me. He asked, 'why were you so excited with that catch?'': Steyn narrates 'tormenting' IPL duel
Dale Steyn recalled his ‘tormenting’ experience with AB de Villiers during their duel in the Indian Premier League.
The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League begins on March 31; while serial winners Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will be aiming for a strong return after finishing 9th and 10th respectively in 2022, a fair few franchises will be aiming to end a run of disappointing outings. Sunrisers Hyderabad, the winners of the 2016 edition of the tournament, hit rock bottom in 2021 when they finished 8th in the league; the franchise was also making headlines for team management's fall-out with then-captain David Warner, who was eventually released after the season.
Last year, Sunrisers finished eighth again but bolstered their squad in the auction with quality buys like Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, and Adil Rashid among others. Sunrisers also boast of a brilliant coaching staff with legendary former batter Brian Lara as their head coach, Muttiah Muralitharan as the spin-bowling consultant, and Dale Steyn coaching the pacers. Steyn has also represented the franchise between 2013-2015 and shared healthy rivalry with some of the best batters at the time.
However, one player who, in Steyn's own words, ‘tormented’ the South African speedster in the IPL was his own fellow countryman, AB de Villiers. And Steyn opened up on his duels with the former South Africa star in a segment for the Sunrisers on their official YouTube channel, as he recalled being smashed by de Villiers twice in the IPL.
"This story goes way back. One of the first instances that happened was in 2012. I was playing for Deccan Chargers at the time, I was bowling in good speed. I really felt like I had things going well for myself, and I met this gentleman at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It was a big contest, ABD vs myself.
“And he got the upper hand on me, I think I went for about 20 or 24 runs (23). I'll overexaggerate and say that it felt like 40. Fast forward two more years, and same venue, same batsman, this competition, this rivalry was set. Pretty much the same over, 18th or 19th over, same scenario. I ran in, I felt like this time, I'm really going to knock him over. I don't remember the particulars of thar game, but he hit one out to deep midwicket, it should've been one and there was a little fumble. Chinnaswamy is a small stadium, if you manage to get the ball out to deep midwicket, it's going to be one. There was a fumble, he was quick on his feet, he turns around and comes back for two. I'd go for another 23-24 (24) runs,” Steyn recalled.
The former South Africa star, then, recalled how AB de Villiers got upset with him when Steyn burst into passionate celebration after taking his catch in the 2015 edition of the tournament.
“We fast forward to 2015, we were in Hyderabad, this time I'm not the bowler. Moises Henriques is the bowler, ABD comes out and I'm pretty certain it was his first ball. I hadn't bowled to him. He hits it, I'm at long on and I go charging around the boundary and I have a good catch on the boundary. Had I dropped, it would've probably gone for a six. I throw the ball up and I celebrate like I'm the bowler myself who got this man out,” Steyn said.
“I remember meeting him after the game and he was upset with me. He asked me why I was so excited about this catch. And I remember just telling him, just you know, whatever, I've just gotten you out. You must deal with it! But the more I think about it, it was a whole of bunch of years of having to live in the torment of AB de Villiers taking me down.”
