Who is Matthew de Villiers? 5 interesting facts about Joburg Super Kings' opening batter in SA20 2025-26

The Joburg Super Kings (JSK) got their 2025-26 SA20 campaign underway in style with a 22-run win over the Pretoria Capitals (PC) in Centurion on December 27. The side had several key contributions in their victory, with opening batter Matthew de Villiers' 10-ball 13 being one such.

Despite not converting his start to a bigger score, the right-hander ensured JSK overcame the initial nerves at the beginning of a tournament with handy boundaries. Renowned for their fandom by association, De Villiers' initial flurry generated sizable curiosity among even the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans.

Many were interested in finding out about the 25-year-old's cricket career thus far and any potential relationship with 'The De Villiers' of South African cricket, AB de Villiers.

With that in mind, let us discover five interesting facts about Matthew de Villiers, South Africa, and JSK's newest batter on the block.

#1 The AB de Villiers connection

There is a strong resemblance between up-and-coming Matthew de Villiers and former Proteas captain AB de Villiers. Although they are unrelated beyond cricket, Matthew's cricketing traits and batting style have convinced fans that he could be the next ABD.

Matthew de Villiers wears the iconic No.17 jersey that AB de Villiers made famous for South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). His strokeplay, stance, and mannerisms at the crease closely mirror AB de Villiers, surprising fans with the similarities.

For the uninitiated, AB de Villiers is one of the most accomplished all-format batters of all time with over 20,000 runs, including 47 centuries, in 420 international matches. He also holds the record for the fastest ODI century ever, reaching the milestone off 31 deliveries against the West Indies in 2015.

#2 The rare triple in a T20 league

It is not often that a cricketer achieves massive success as an individual, while also captaining the title-winning side in the same tournament. However, Matthew de Villiers accomplished the rare triple in the recent 2025/26 CSA T20 Challenge.

The 25-year-old led the Warriors admirably throughout the competition, as they finished second in the standings with five wins in seven matches. They went on to win the title with a thrilling super over victory over Boland in the summit clash.

Team success aside, De Villiers also led all scorers in the tournament with 394 runs at an average of 65.66 and a strike rate of 141.21 in nine games. The right-hander scored a half-century in five out of his eight innings.

#3 The unique 'Neither here nor there' List-A debut

Debuts at any level are special for a batter, with a big score or even a failure usually garnering headlines. However, in the case of Matthew de Villiers, it was the rare instance of neither here nor there on his List-A debut for the Warriors earlier this year.

Chasing only 92 for victory, the youngster raced to a 60-ball 49* but finished one run shy of a half-century. It is not often that a batter is left stranded on 49 in his debut innings, but De Villiers has that rare feat on his resume.

#4 When Matthew de Villiers flexed his underrated bowling skills

Matthew de Villiers boasts the ability to roll his arm over for some right-arm medium-pace bowling. Yet, it has rarely been seen in the South African domestic circuit, with the youngster bowling just the two overs in first-class cricket and none in List-A and T20 formats.

However, rolling back the years, De Villiers once picked up 15 wickets for Oakmere CC in the 2019 UKFast Cheshire Cricket League. During his time with Hambledon CC in the ECB Southern Premier League Div 2 in 2022, he also bagged 28 wickets with his medium pacers.

The following year, De Villiers played for Longridge CC in the ECB Northern Premier League and picked up a remarkable 46 wickets. It remains to be seen if the opening batter slowly turns himself into a bona fide all-rounder at the higher levels.

#5 A first-class debut to savor

Matthew de Villiers is no one-trick pony, with the ability to flourish only in the white-ball formats. The right-hander instantly showcased his skills in the red-ball arena with a first-class debut for the ages last year.

De Villiers scored a brilliant 94 in his maiden first-class innings for the Warriors, batting at No.6, against the North West. He followed up on his first-innings heroics with another sublime half-century in the second essay to set up a potential final-day Warriors victory.

However, the game ultimately ended in a draw, even as De Villiers announced his arrival in South African first-class cricket.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran