AB de Villiers sets sights on BBL stint

The KFC Big Bash League could be in line for perhaps the biggest marquee signing in its history with South African superstar AB de Villiers interested in wielding the willow Down Under in the 2019-20 season.

De Villiers is understood to be on the lookout for a BBL club in the back half of next summer's tournament, with a number of clubs having been approached by the master batsman's management.

At this point, it is believed several clubs have shown interest in his potential recruitment.

The 35-year-old bowed out of international cricket last April but remains one of the world's most sought-after commodities on the T20 circuit, with his revolutionary batting skills in the one-day format transferring seamlessly into the game's shortest format.

In the ongoing Indian Premier League tournament, de Villiers has been in superb touch, passing fifty in four of his past seven innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he plays alongside Kohli.

The signature of the Proteas legend, who is considered among both the best and most entertaining players of his generation, would represent a major coup for any Big Bash club.

A quick look at his numbers in the IPL underlines the kind of impact he could have: in that tournament's history, he and West Indian Chris Gayle are the only two players to strike in excess of 150 while averaging more than 40.

"De Villiers is someone I've really looked up to," Melbourne Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell told cricket.com.au last year. "He's true entertainment."