Ab De Villiers Virat Kohli happy for RCB. Image Credits: AFP
AB de Villiers, former South Africa cricketer, will be making his return to top-level cricket shortly. De Villier had called time on his international cricket career in 2018 in an abrupt decision. AB de Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for South Africa.
De Villiers also holds the joint record for the fastest fifty in ODIs in 16 balls and the fastest century in ODIs in just 31 balls. Both of those records had come against the West Indies in 2015 in an ODI that was played at Johannesburg.
However, he cited burnout and workload issues for announcing his retirement from international cricket. He tried for a comeback to South African cricket for the ICC World Cup 2019, but talks didn’t materialize.
AB de Villiers to feature in World Championship of Legends (WCL)
AB de Villiers continued to play in domestic T20 leagues, including the Indian Premier League, the PSL, and the Big Bash League, among others. But he lost the motivation to continue playing cricket in 2021, when he announced his retirement from the IPL as well.
However, AB de Villiers returned to the veterans' league in the World Championship of Legends’s (WCL) 2025 edition, where he led South Africa to the title, and will feature in the upcoming edition as well in 2026.
The third season of World Championship of Legends (WCL) starts October 3 as per a PTI report and will feature the likes of David Warner, Yuvraj Singh, and Dwayne Bravo. India Champions won the first season against Pakistan Champions, while South Africa Champions won the second season against Pakistan Champions.
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The event is set to take place from October 3–18, though the location has not yet been revealed.
The first two seasons of Ajay Devgn-promoted WCL proved to be major successes
Apart from Yuvraj, Bravo, and Warner, several other players like Shahid Afridi and Moeen Ali are also returning to the WCL fold, with Mahmudullah from Bangladesh also featuring for the first time.
"Following two record-breaking seasons, WCL 2026 will have more star power, more intensity, more national pride, and more unforgettable cricketing moments. The third season has already added Bangladesh champions to the tournament.
The WCL Season 3 promises some bigger names joining the squad, which includes the continuation of stars like Yuvraj Singh, AB de Villiers, DJ Bravo, Shahid Afridi, and Moeen Ali, with the addition of more stars like David Warner and Mahmudullah Riyadh," the WCL release further stated.
WCL season three is set to be played outside the UK
After the success of the first two seasons of WCL, the third edition of the tournament will be played outside the UK, CEO Harshit Tomar noted.
“We’re thrilled to announce the cast for Season 3 of the WCL. It’s going to be a very special season as we move out of the UK for the first time ever and unveil a surprise for our fans. We aim to bring the biggest names and biggest superstars the fans have ever imagined for Season 3,” Tomar said in a statement.
After the tournament's second edition surpassed 425 million viewers worldwide, the WCL organizers have high expectations for the third season. The event in 2026 may become a truly worldwide celebration of the sport's greatest retiring stars and fiercest rivalries as a result of those record-breaking numbers.
"After registering an incredible 425 million global viewers in Season 2, WCL enters Season 3 with even greater momentum and ambitions than ever before, to create the ultimate celebration of cricket’s golden era and its legendary icons,” said Tomar.
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