AB de Villiers’ highest IPL score was 133 not out, and it came in the kind of innings that perfectly captured why he was known as Mr. 360 and, to many fans, the Alien.
Across 184 IPL matches, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru star scored 5,162 runs at an average of 39.71 and a strike rate of 151.69, along with 3 centuries and 40 fifties. But his IPL record was never just about total runs.
What truly set him apart was how much damage he packed into those numbers: 413 fours, 251 sixes, 118 catches, 8 stumpings, and a long list of innings that either won matches outright or pulled RCB back from losing positions.
Top 10 Highest Scores by AB de Villiers in IPL
AB de Villiers’ top 10 highest IPL scores, led by his unbeaten 133.
| Rank | Score | Balls | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate | Year | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 133* | 59 | 19 | 4 | 225.42 | 2015 | MI | RCB won by 39 runs |
| 2 | 129* | 52 | 10 | 12 | 248.07 | 2016 | GL | RCB won by 144 runs |
| 3 | 105* | 54 | 5 | 6 | 194.44 | 2009 | CSK | DC won by 9 runs |
| 4 | 90* | 39 | 10 | 5 | 230.77 | 2018 | DC | RCB won by 6 wickets |
| 5 | 89* | 41 | 6 | 8 | 217.07 | 2014 | SRH | RCB won by 4 wickets |
| 6 | 89* | 46 | 3 | 9 | 193.47 | 2017 | KXIP | RCB lost by 8 wickets |
| 7 | 82* | 44 | 3 | 7 | 186.36 | 2019 | KXIP | RCB won by 17 runs |
| 8 | 76* | 34 | 9 | 3 | 223.52 | 2021 | KKR | RCB won by 38 runs |
| 9 | 73* | 33 | 5 | 6 | 221.21 | 2020 | KKR | RCB won by 82 runs |
| 10 | 54* | 40 | 1 | 5 | 135.00 | 2011 | Kochi Tuskers Kerala | RCB won by 6 wickets |
1) 133 vs Mumbai Indians, 2015
At Wankhede, de Villiers turned a strong start into total carnage. He remained unbeaten on 133 off just 59 balls, striking 19 fours and 4 sixes at 225.42, while sharing an unbroken 215-run second-wicket stand with Virat Kohli, who made 82* off 50. RCB were only 39/1 in the powerplay, but de Villiers accelerated brutally after that, reaching his fifty in 29 balls and his hundred in 47, helping the side finish on 235/1.
Mumbai Indians still made 196/7 in reply, but the 39-run margin showed just how decisive that innings had been.
2) 129 vs Gujarat Lions, 2016
This was de Villiers at his most outrageous. Batting at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, he smashed an unbeaten 129 off only 52 balls with 10 fours and 12 sixes, scoring at 248.07 in an innings that barely gave Gujarat Lions room to recover.
He and Kohli, who made 109 off 55, added 229 runs for the second wicket and pushed RCB to 248/3, which was already enough to bury the contest. Gujarat Lions were then bowled out for 104 in 18.4 overs, sealing a crushing 144-run win in one of the most destructive batting displays of the season.
3) 105 vs Chennai Super Kings, 2009
Before his RCB peak years, de Villiers had already produced one of his cleanest IPL hundreds for Delhi Daredevils.
Coming in after Delhi slipped to 8/2, he stayed unbeaten on 105 off 54 balls, hitting 5 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 194.44 to carry the innings almost single-handedly. He first built a rapid stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan, who made 50 off 27, and then controlled the back half of the innings brilliantly as Delhi posted 189/5.
CSK responded well through Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina, but Delhi held on for a 9-run win, with de Villiers deservedly taking Player of the Match.
4) 90 vs Delhi Capitals, 2018
This was a chase where he never let the asking rate breathe. De Villiers remained unbeaten on 90 off 39 balls at Bengaluru, hammering 10 fours and 5 sixes at 230.77 as RCB chased down 175 in only 18 overs.
After Delhi posted 174/5, powered mainly by Rishabh Pant’s 85 and Shreyas Iyer’s 52, RCB needed one batter to own the chase, and de Villiers did exactly that. He added 63 runs with Virat Kohli and then another 56 with Corey Anderson, ensuring the target was taken down with six wickets in hand and no late drama.
5) 89 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2014
This is the correction most articles miss; this knock came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, not Punjab. Chasing 156 at the Chinnaswamy, RCB were in trouble at 59/4 before de Villiers completely changed the game with an unbeaten 89 off 41 balls, striking 6 fours and 8 sixes at 217.07.
It was one of those innings where the pressure should have built, but instead, he kept dismantling the chase with clean boundary hitting and perfect tempo.
RCB eventually got home in 19.5 overs, winning by four wickets, and this knock remains one of his sharpest rescue acts in the league.
6) 89 vs Kings XI Punjab, 2017
This innings was brilliant, but it also showed the downside of one-man resistance. RCB were wrecked early at 22/3 and later 68/4, yet de Villiers still dragged them to 148/4 with an unbeaten 89 off 46 balls, including 3 fours and 9 sixes at a strike rate of 193.47.
He batted through the innings, absorbed the collapse, and then accelerated late with Stuart Binny for a 50-run fifth-wicket stand. But the total was too light, and Kings XI Punjab chased it in just 14.3 overs, making this the highest score of de Villiers’ IPL career in a losing cause.
7) 82 vs Kings XI Punjab, 2019
This was a classic middle-order finishing job. RCB slipped to 81/4, but de Villiers held firm with an unbeaten 82 off 44 balls, striking 3 fours and 7 sixes at 186.36, before stitching together a match-defining stand with Marcus Stoinis, who added 46* off 34.
Their partnership turned a shaky innings into a total of 202/4, which proved just beyond Punjab’s reach.
The chase stayed alive through KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Nicholas Pooran, but RCB closed it out by 17 runs, with de Villiers once again being the innings that separated the two sides.
8) 76 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2021
This was one of his sharpest late-innings bursts in the final stretch of his IPL career. Coming in after RCB had slipped to 9/2, de Villiers stayed unbeaten on 76 off 34 balls, smashing 9 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 223.52.
Glenn Maxwell’s 78 had laid the base, but de Villiers took over at the death, especially after the 17th over, and pushed RCB to 204/4 with a rapid finish alongside Kyle Jamieson. KKR had moments in the chase, but RCB’s bowlers shut the game down well enough for a 38-run win.
9) 73 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2020
This one was built like a proper finisher’s innings. RCB were 94/2 after 12.2 overs when de Villiers walked in, and from there he blasted an unbeaten 73 off just 33 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes at 221.21.
He added an unbroken 100-run stand with Virat Kohli, who made 33*, and that partnership came in only 47 balls, flipping the innings from steady to overwhelming. RCB finished on 194/2, and KKR were then strangled to 112/9 in reply, making it one of the most complete team wins of the season.
10) 54 vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 2011
Not every big de Villiers innings was about sheer violence, and this one was more about control. Chasing 162 in Kochi, he remained unbeaten on 54 off 40 balls with 1 four and 5 sixes, guiding RCB through a chase that had a few awkward moments in the middle.
He arrived after Tillakaratne Dilshan fell early and stayed until the finish, adding enough calm and enough power at the right stages to keep the asking rate manageable.
RCB got home in 18.4 overs with six wickets in hand, and it remains one of his more understated but highly effective IPL knocks.
AB de Villiers Overall IPL Stats
Batting Summary
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184 | 5,162 | 133* | 39.71 | 151.69 | 3 | 40 | 413 | 251 |
Fielding Summary
| Matches | Catches | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|
| 184 | 118 | 8 |
Best AB de Villiers IPL Seasons
Most of AB de Villiers’ biggest IPL knocks came between 2014 and 2021, the period when he became RCB’s most reliable middle-order match-winner. His best season was 2016, when he scored 687 runs in 16 matches at an average of 52.84 and a strike rate of 168.79.
He was nearly as destructive in 2015, scoring 513 runs at a strike rate of 175.08. More importantly, most of his top innings came in wins or in games where he carried RCB almost alone.
Suggested Reads:
Conclusion: 133 vs MI Remains AB de Villiers’ Highest IPL Score
AB de Villiers’ highest IPL score of 133 not out against Mumbai Indians in 2015 still remains the best snapshot of what he brought to the tournament. It had acceleration, range, control, and the ability to make a high-level T20 attack look ordinary.
But if this top 10 list proves anything, it is that de Villiers was never a one-innings wonder in the IPL. He kept producing elite knocks across different seasons, different opponents, and completely different match situations, which is exactly why he still sits comfortably among the greatest batters the league has seen.
FAQs
AB de Villiers’ highest IPL score is 133 not out, which he scored for RCB against Mumbai Indians in 2015.
He scored 3 centuries in the IPL.
AB de Villiers scored 5,162 runs in 184 IPL matches.
By runs, his best IPL season was 2016, when he scored 687 runs.
He scored 129 not out against Gujarat Lions in 2016.
