AB de Villiers played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for 11 seasons, from 2011 to 2021. Former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund recently shared a surprising revelation from the ex-South African star about his salary with RCB. De Villiers admitted to Mukund that he felt he was overpaid by the franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
AB de Villiers was a key player for RCB throughout his long stint, with the team consistently retaining him. He was signed for INR 9.5 crores before the 2014 season and then for INR 11 crores ahead of the 2018 mega auction.
As a right-handed batsman, AB de Villiers was an important part of the team under Virat Kohli’s captaincy from 2013 to 2021. He also played in the finals of the 2011 and 2016 IPL seasons, where RCB finished as runners-up after losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), respectively.
AB de Villiers Admitted to Abhinav Mukund During IPL 2025 Final That He Was Overpaid
AB de Villiers came to India to support his former team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), during the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium. During the match, he confided in former India batter Abhinav Mukund that he felt he had been overpaid by RCB.
“I was sitting next to AB de Villiers, and he said something I don’t think any IPL legend has ever said before. He genuinely meant it and spoke from the heart. He said, ‘I was overpaid,’” Mukund shared.
AB de Villiers explained, “I think I was overpaid because when you look at all the other factors — like buying multiple superstar players and match winners — the highest amounts spent were on players like Phil Salt or Josh Hazlewood. Neither of them cost more than 15 crores.”
According to Mukund’s interview on Star Sports, De Villiers made this admission during their conversation.
To provide context, RCB had retained three players before the IPL 2025 mega auction: Virat Kohli for INR 21 crores, Rajat Patidar for INR 11 crores, and Yash Dayal for INR 5 crores.
In the mega auction, their most expensive buys were pacer Josh Hazlewood at INR 12.5 crores and Phil Salt at INR 11.5 crores. RCB also paid INR 11 crores for wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma and INR 10.75 crores for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
