IPL: AB de Villiers is real wicketkeeping option this season, says Hesson

Mike Hesson, Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) Director of Cricket has said AB de Villiers will once again be a wicketkeeping option for the franchise in this year's Indian Premier League

Mike Hesson, Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) Director of Cricket has said that AB de Villiers will once again be a wicketkeeping option for the franchise in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).

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RCB is set to play the IPL 2021 opener against Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai. For a few matches last year, AB de Villiers donned the wicketkeeping gloves and he is expected to do the same this year if it fixes the balance of the playing XI.

"We were delighted with the fact that Ab de Villiers loved wicketkeeping and he embraced it. He wanted to continue doing it, he is a real option, we now have a couple of other wicketkeeping options which is great. Mohammed Azharuddeen is a natural athlete with the gloves and in the field. We also have KS Bharat, he is a natural keeper, gives us different options as well," said Hesson in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.

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"We are not going to make the commitment now to you guys as to who will do what. We are really pleased with the options we have got and AB is certainly one of those," he added.

RCB's training camp will begin on March 29 for the upcoming edition of the IPL. Hesson earlier had said that AB de Villiers will arrive on March 28 for the upcoming IPL.

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"We have got players arriving all the way through till April 1. Finn Allen will be playing in T20I in New Zealand on April 1 and then he will come the day after... ABD arrives on 28," he said.

Hesson also said: "It is very different than the last year where we had everybody together for a long period of time on the back of a period where the guys had not trained or played. So, this time it is different, we got players playing international cricket over here and overseas and domestic cricket up until a hand full of days ago. So, we had to prepare in slightly different ways."

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The final of the 14th edition of the tournament will be played on May 30 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Playoffs will also be played at the same venue.