AB de Villiers Exposes Dark Secrets of Delhi Daredevils: ‘Lots of Poisonous Characters’
AB de Villiers called his time at Delhi Daredevils “bitter-sweet,” saying the team had many “poisonous characters” in the dressing room.
AB de Villiers has opened up on his turbulent time with the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), calling the franchise “in shambles” during his early years in the IPL.
The former South African batter, who later became an RCB legend, spent three seasons (2008-2010) with the Delhi-based side before finding his home in Bengaluru.
In a recent chat with Cricket.com, the 41-year-old spoke candidly about the challenges he faced in the Delhi camp, saying the dressing room had “lots of poisonous characters” despite being filled with cricketing stars.
“I would hate to give you names… but Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. There were lots of poisonous characters on that side,” said De Villiers.
Mixed Memories With Legends
Even with all the issues, De Villiers shared that the stint wasn’t all bad. He had the chance to rub shoulders with some of his childhood heroes like Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori, which made it a bittersweet experience.
“Some of the highlights of my life and career came during that stint — especially spending time with guys like Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori. These were my heroes growing up, and I was honestly a bit scared of them.”
One of the standout moments for AB came when McGrath praised his batting in 2008, which meant the world to the young batter at the time.
Talent Was There, But Team Was Unsettled
Delhi Daredevils had a strong squad on paper, featuring the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, and a young David Warner.
Despite this, the team couldn’t translate their talent into consistent wins in big matches. According to De Villiers, the dressing room atmosphere played a part in this underperformance.
“There were some cancerous characters inside… it was a very bittersweet three years for me,” he concluded.
