'No wonder IPL logo is secretly designed after AB de Villiers': Twitter hails special ABD knock vs MI in IPL 2021 opener

Royal Challengers Bangalore's wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers return to 22 yards with a match-winning 27-ball 48 knock

Royal Challengers Bangalore's wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers returned to 22 yards with a match-winning 27-ball 48 knock. ABD, who last played competitive cricket in the last season of IPL in the UAE, seemed to pick up where he left off in 2020 as the world of Twitter was full of praise for the batsman.

Chennai: AB de Villiers of Royal Challengers Bangalore plays a shot during Vivo Indian Premier League 2021 match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Friday, April 9, 2021. (PTI Photo/Sportzpics)(PTI04_09_2021_000269B) (PTI)

The 37-year-old came in to bat in the 13th over, when RCB were 98/3, needing 62 runs to win from 45 balls. The former Proteas batsman smashed 4 fours and 2 sixes, striking at a blistering rate of 177.78, to bail his team out of jail and put them in a commanding position.

Even though he was run-out in the last over, when RCB needed just two more runs for victory, he had set-up a good enough platform for Harshal Patel to hit the winning runs off the last ball.

Here's how the netizens reacted on Twitter:

In response, RCB stuttered over the line with a last-ball win. Wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers smashed 48 off 27 to bail his team out of jail. Before he walked in, skipper Kohli made a swift 29-ball 33 to give his team a decent start. De Villiers was run out in the last over but Harshal held his nerve to hit the winning runs.

MI play Kolkata Knight Riders next, while RCB take on Sunrisers Hyderabad.