South African cricket legend AB de Villiers was asked to name the best player in T20 cricket. Surprisingly, the former international batsman did not mention the name of any batsman in his reply.
Whenever there is a discussion on finding the best players in a particular format, most of the cricket fraternity will mention the names of several batsmen, including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. Willers himself has legitimate points to clinch the title of best cricketer in the Twenty20 format.
AB de Villiers names Jasprit Bumrah as the best T20 player of all time compared to Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle
For AB de Villiers, Indian pace star Jasprit Bumrah is the best player ever to grace this format. Villiers described Bumrah as the best player to play in the T20 format. The 42-year-old also mentioned that naming a bowler instead of a batsman might be ironic.
AB de Villiers said in an interview, “Who is the greatest T20 player of all time? It’s going to be a controversial…not controversial, ironic answer, because I think it’s (Jasprit) Bumrah. But he’s not bowling to me.”
“Just his consistency. His ability to bowl at any stage of the 20 overs and take wickets under pressure – with the new ball, with the old ball, you name it. Super Overs – you bowl him the ball; he wins you games. He is Jasprit Bumrah for you,” he added.
The caption of the Instagram video made the decision more interesting. The video caption reads, “Since this statement, Jasprit Bumrah has led India to two T20 World Cup titles. I’ll be honest, when I asked him this, I expected Gayle, Watson, Malinga or even himself to top his list, but AB opted for the Indian speedster, and no doubt, he is living up to the claim.”
Pakistan cricket team selector compared Bumrah with controversial spinner Usman Tariq
In contrast, senior Pakistan cricket selector and former fast bowler Aaqib Javed compared the fast bowler to Pakistan’s international spinner Usman Tariq, who is known for his controversial bowling action. According to Javed, the batsmen have to struggle against the Indian fast bowlers because of his bowling action.
Aaqib Javed said, “You look at this whole T20 World Cup – there is only one bowler, Bumrah, who is even scoring runs now. Because he does not have the normal action and his bowling action is different, he does not allow the batsmen to get the rhythm or get into the flow. I would say he is the Usman Tariq of fast bowling.”
Jasprit Bumrah’s T20I and IPL stats in brief
For Team India, in T20 Internationals, Jasprit Bumrah has so far taken 121 wickets in 95 matches with an economy rate of 6.51. He received the Man of the Match award for his exceptional bowling in the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
In franchise cricket, Bumrah played 145 IPL matches, taking 183 wickets at an economy rate of 7.24.
Read more: MS Dhoni urges AB de Villiers to retire before IPL 2026