Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) director of cricket Mike Hesson has on Thursday (August 27) heaped praise on South African stalwarts AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn, saying the two legends still have plenty to offer in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
They are amongst two of the most celebrated cricketers and have landed in Dubai last week along with Chris Morris to play in the IPL 2020.
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Both De Villiers and Steyn haven’t played much cricket in recent times, but Hesson is confident of impressive performances from the world-class veterans in the IPL 2020 starting from 19th September in the UAE amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While De Villiers quit international cricket in 2018 but plays in franchise leagues across the world and recently seen in South Africa’s experimental three-team tournament, Steyn retired from Test cricket in 2019 to prolong his limited-overs career has played three Twenty20 International matches this year.
Hesson said of De Villiers at a virtual media conference from Dubai: “Only a matter of weeks ago he took part in a match in South Africa and once again he was a standout player, having just come out of his living room. So that certainly showed the quality of player he is.”
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He added, “He's had very, very good franchise tournaments around the world the last 12 months and he's in good touch. Physically, he's feeling good and refreshed. And once again, he's one of the few in the group that is absolutely chomping at the bit to get into training.”
On Steyn, former New Zealand head coach said: “He's developing his game. We saw some different deliveries that he's been able to develop over the last six months. So he's certainly not ready to retire yet, certainly very keen to make a contribution this IPL.”
Noteworthy, the RCB has resumed training in the UAE from Thursday for the IPL 2020.
(With Reuters Inputs)
