De Villiers, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, scored 47 international hundreds and averaged more than 50 in both Tests and ODIs.

The signing of de Villiers is a major coup for the PSL. De Villiers is one of the most sought after T20 players in the world and in previous years has rarely played T20 cricket outside of the Indian Premier League.

He confirmed his participation in the PSL on Twitter.

It’s time for @thePSLt20. So, there’s going to be a party in February?#ABaurPSL #psl2019 pic.twitter.com/WPWo1t9ABB

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) September 7, 2018

Given that at the time of his international retirement he cited fatigue as one of the reasons behind his decision, the news comes as a bit of surprise. In his retirement statement he said: “It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it’s about running out of gas and feeling it’s the right time to move on.”

De Villiers will now enter the PSL draft and will almost certainly be the first pick. As Lahore Qalanders will have that first pick in this year’s draft after finishing bottom of the table last year, they seem his likely destination. In past years, they’ve used their pick to secure the services of other marquee T20 names such as Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.

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De Villiers hasn’t played cricket in any form since the IPL ended in May but he is set to play in the T20 Global League in South Africa before his stint in the PSL. The Global League is scheduled to begin in November whilst the PSL will take place in February 2019.