AB De Villiers Names Greatest T20 Player, Not Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli Or Rashid Khan. He's Not A Batter

Who is the greatest T20 player of all time? Who better to answer that question than AB de Villiers - who is himself one of the contenders for the title? The South African great has played across leagues and in all major cricketing nations. He was part of the legendary Royal Challengers Bengaluru team that featured Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. In the IPL, he faced teams like the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Yet, when it came to choosing the greatest T20 player of all time, De Villiers picked a bowler.

"Who is the T20 Greatest of All Time?" De Villiers said. "It's going to be a controversial... not controversial, ironic answer, because I think it's (Jasprit) Bumrah. But not bowling to me."

"Just his consistency. His ability to bowl at any stage of the 20 overs and take wickets under pressure - with the new ball, old ball, you name it. Super Over - you throw the ball to him; he wins you the game. That's Jasprit Bumrah for you," he added.

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Meanwhile, Aaqib Javed, Pakistan cricket's senior selector and former pacer, on Saturday said fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah possesses a unique bowling action that does not allow batters to settle into a rhythm. But he oddly compared the Indian pacer with Usman Tariq, the mystery spinner who featured in the recent T20 World Cup.

"You look at this entire T20 World Cup - there is only one bowler, Bumrah, who is also now going for runs. Because he doesn't have a normal action and has a different bowling action, he doesn't allow batters to gain rhythm or get into a flow. I would say he is fast bowling's Usman Tariq."

Aaqib's remarks drew criticism from cricket fans on social media, many of whom mocked the comparison between Bumrah and Usman.

Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians Royal Challengers Bengaluru AB de Villiers Jasprit Bumrah Chris Gayle IPL 2026 Cricket