De Villiers says IPL has taken cricket to a new level

South African batting superstar AB De Villiers has heaped praise on the Indian Premier League calling it the 'University of World Cricket' while also saying that playing in the competition is like securing an 'MBA in cricket'.

The test and One Day International captain, who plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) dismissed talk that the IPL is all about hype and sky high salaries, saying it is good for the game.

"When people talk about the IPL, they almost always refer to the player salaries and the razzamatazz. In both these areas, the league has taken cricket to a new level, presenting the game in a way that has not been done before, creating a platform for players to receive market-related remuneration," De Villiers said as quoted by Sports Cafe.

De Villiers has been part of the IPL since its inception in 2008 and has credited it for making him a better player, adding that "he learns more during each IPL than in the other 44 weeks of the year".

"The experience of being surrounded by world-class players day after day, match after match, and taking the opportunity to meet them, talk to them and watch them go about their business amounts to nothing more and nothing less than a top-class education. It's like taking an MBA in cricket."

De Villiers has been in brilliant form this season for RCB scoring 316 in six games at an average of 52.66 with a strike rate of 166.31. He is currently third in the list of top run scorers.

"From a personal perspective, it's hard to exaggerate how much I have benefited from being involved in nine editions of the IPL, getting to know the likes of Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Stephen Fleming, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli and others, seeing them perform first-hand, often as teammates, spending so much time with them after matches, listening to them talk about the game, just chatting about life in general, sharing experiences and knowledge."