In an Instagram Live chat with cricketer-turned-commentator Pommie Mbangwa, de Villiers conceded that the bond he has established with RCB for close to a decade now is something he doesn’t wish to part with, even if something as lucrative as playing under MS Dhoni comes along.

When asked by a fan if he ever thought of representing Chennai Super Kings and playing under MS Dhoni someday, de Villiers gave a pragmatic response, saying that he’s never had a choice to pick a franchise before. “Because of the system in the IPL, I’ve never had a choice. I have played with Delhi Daredevils, and then they released me after the first three seasons, after which Bangalore picked me up. The entire first part of my IPL career was out of my hands.”

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In the 2011 IPL auction, de Villiers was snapped up by RCB, where he played first under Daniel Vettori, and subsequently under Virat Kohli, building one of the most successful IPL careers by an overseas batsman. With 4395 runs at 39.95 for RCB, de Villiers ranks second in the list of run-getters for the franchise, after Kohli, and wishes to continue playing for the team for the rest of his IPL career.

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“Obviously, playing for Bangalore for the first three-four years, going into your fifth year, I realised I would love to play here for the rest of my life,” de Villiers said. “I really enjoy the franchise, the vibe, the people. You create friendships you don’t want to leave. Then I started feeling that I actually want to play for RCB.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think the CSK thing is going to happen. It’s good to play against them, though. It’s always a great battle.”