Even in retirement, AB de Villiers continues to redefine what’s possible. The former South Africa captain produced a masterclass in the final of the 2025 World Championship of Legends (WCL), leading South Africa Champions to a resounding nine-wicket win over Pakistan Champions—and reigniting calls that he could still dominate in today’s IPL.
Dale Steyn, his longtime Proteas teammate, captured the mood perfectly with a bold social media statement following the final:
“Unpopular/Popular opinion. Ab is still better than half the internationals at IPL. Maybe even more.”
Unpopular/Popular opinion.
Ab is still better than half the internationals at IPL. Maybe even more.
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) August 3, 2025
The comment quickly went viral, with fans and pundits agreeing—and many suggesting that de Villiers is, in fact, better than 90 percent of IPL’s current crop.
De Villiers dazzles in final, lifts WCL trophy
Playing at Edgbaston, de Villiers turned back the clock with a breathtaking unbeaten 120 off just 60 balls, chasing down 196 with 19 balls to spare. His innings included 10 fours and 8 sixes, and he stitched together dominant stands with Hashim Amla (72-run opening partnership) and JP Duminy (unbroken 125-run stand).
Pakistan Champions had earlier opted to bat, with Sharjeel Khan smashing a 44-ball 76 to give them a quick start. But the innings lost steam midway as Hardus Viljoen and Wayne Parnell applied pressure—each taking two wickets, including key scalps like Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez.
De Villiers ensured there were no hiccups in the chase, launching the innings with clean hitting from the second over itself. It was his third century in four WCL innings, taking his tournament tally to 429 runs at an extraordinary strike rate.
“Mr360” still has it
Even four years after his retirement, the player once dubbed “Mr360” for his unmatched range of shots looks far from done. With 431 runs in six WCL games at an average of 143.67 and a strike rate over 220, de Villiers was the tournament’s leading run-scorer and was named both Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament.
His ability to dominate bowlers of all kinds—despite nursing a hamstring strain—prompted many fans to point out that de Villiers still possesses the class and fitness to shine in the IPL.
As a reminder of just how impactful he’s been historically, de Villiers remains eighth on the IPL all-time run-scorers list, with 5,162 runs in 184 matches, an average nearing 40, and 44 fifty-plus scores, including four centuries.
A nod to the next “Mr360”
On his YouTube channel, de Villiers also spoke about his spiritual successor. The 23-year-old Dewald Brevis—known for his fearless strokeplay and wearing the same jersey number 17—earned de Villiers’ nod as the closest thing to the next “Mr360”.
Though Brevis currently plays for Chennai Super Kings, de Villiers jokingly expressed regret over that fact, saying he’d love to see the young talent don Royal Challengers Bangalore colors one day. He also praised Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav as another worthy contender for the “Mr360” mantle.
