Royal Challengers Bangalore sweat as injured AB de Villiers sit out SA domestic meet

It may well be the case that De Villiers is preserving himself for the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he is supposed to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first few matches till Virat Kohli becomes match fit

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be worried after their star batsman AB de Villiers pulled out of the final of the Momentum One Day Cup domestic 50-overs meet in South Africa due to back pain.

If AB DeVilliers, who opens for Royal Challengers Bangalore, is injured and is forced to sit out the Indian Premier League (IPL), it will be a big blow for the side, especially with Virat Kohli also injured.(Getty Images)

That De Villiers is injured was confirmed by Cricket South Africa’s official website.

“About to get underway in Centurion. The big team news from either team is that AB de Villiers misses out due to a back injury,” cricet South Africa’s official twitter handle @Official CSA tweeted.

The extent of De Villiers’ injury has not been confirmed by either the player or the cricket board.

It may well be the case that De Villiers is preserving himself for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and didn’t risk himself by appearing for the Titans in the final against Warriors played at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Earlier, RCB were mulling giving AB de Villiers the captaincy in the first few games of the Indian Premier League 2017 if Virat Kohli fails to recover in time from his shoulder injury.

If De Villiers is out then Shane Watson could end up leading the side.