‘I retired from all cricket because…’ - AB de Villiers announces his return for South Africa in competitive cricket

Former legendary South African batter AB de Villiers has been away from the cricket for last four years since he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The former batting stalwart then started sharing his opinions on all the cricket happening throughout the cricketing world. He also made it to the headlines for some of his unexpected statements and opinions about the cricketers and the cricket teams.

Meanwhile, in a relieving and exciting piece of news for the cricket fans ardent AB de Villiers fans, the former batting legend is set to make his return once again for South Africa in competitive cricket. He also expressed his opinion while announcing his return to cricket after four years of his retirement.

De Villiers will be in action for South Africa Champions in the upcoming second edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL). The renowned T20 tournament features retired cricketers, alongside cricketers who are not in any contract with the other franchise tournaments.

Here’s what AB de Villiers said on his return

Earlier in the first edition, South Africa Champions had the former cricketing greats, including the likes of Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Dale Steyn, and Imran Tahir. Now, the star-studded squad will also include the former Proteas skipper AB de Villiers, leading the side in the tournament’s second edition.

“Four years ago, I retired from all cricket because I just didn’t feel the urge to play any more. Well, time has passed, and my young sons have started playing the game. We’ve been playing more and more often in the garden, and, well, it feels as though some kind of flame has been lit again,” said AB de Villiers in a video he shared on his social media handles.

“So, I am heading back to the gym and the nets, and I’ll be ready for WCL in July,” he added later.

It’s official. I will be playing for the South African team @WCLSAChampions in the upcoming @WclLeague 2025! 🌟

Mark your calendars: the tournament runs from 18th July to 2nd August.

Can’t wait to renew rivalry with so many legends from five other countries. I’m heading to the… pic.twitter.com/4GnUwdP8LB

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 28, 2025

Besides ABD, WCL’s Founder and CEO, Harshit Tomar also spoke about the tournament’s second edition.

“This is just the start! We’re speaking to more greats of the game, former international captains who are icons in their country, about playing in WCL 2025,” said Tomar.

“We’ve said Season Two will be bigger and better than last year. We’ll be announcing more marquee names shortly. It will be very special to see these legends locking horns again and rekindling old rivalries at Edgbaston,” he added later.