AB de Villiers Opens Up About ‘TOXIC ENVIRONMENT’ In His Former IPL Franchise News24 –

By Correspondent On Jun 15, 2025

The premeditated allegations are made by the ex-South African cricketer AB de Villiers regarding his tenure in the Delhi Daredevils (currently Delhi Capitals) in the IPL. According to him, this franchise was not in the best of shape, and the team was toxic. De Villiers played in Delhi between 2009 and 2010. Here he has got 28 matches, and scored nearly 700 runs with the assistance of one hundred and three half-centuries. He joined RCB in 2011 and represented the same franchise until his retirement in 2021. De Villiers played magnificently in RCB and was among the most successful players in the history of IPL. De Villiers spoke to Cricket.com about his experience of playing for Delhi.

“I hate to name names. But Delhi Daredevils was in a bad shape. There were a lot of poisonous characters in that team. There were a lot of legends. That’s why it is a very bitter moment for me because I speak… I remember it. And some of the important moments of my life and career were there, spending time with Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori. That’s where we came closer. But these people were my heroes and I was very scared of them.” de Villiers said.

“I would hate to give you names. Burning people, you know. But Delhi Daredevils were in shambles. There were lots of poisonous characters on that side.” : AB de Villiers on CricketDotCom UNWIND.

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— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) June 15, 2025

De Villiers about McGrath

Talking about McGrath, “I played against him in a Test in 2006 and I could hardly breathe. To be honest, I didn’t even speak a word to him. And the next minute I was sitting in 2008 and he was next to me. He told me that I like the way you play. I am wondering what is going on. So from those kind of amazing moments, I have seen people who spread cancer inside the team. No need to name names. So those three years were very bittersweet for me. Also, I did not get the kind of support I needed.”