IPL 2022: Faf du Plessis named as new RCB skipper

Royal Challengers Bangalore has appointed Faf du Plessis as their new captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League 2022, the franchise announced on Saturday.

The former South African captain will take over from Virat Kohli, who had quit captaincy at the end of the last season.

Du Plessis was roped in for INR 7 crores by the Bengaluru franchise after a tough bidding battle with Delhi Capitals. Faf has all the leadership experience under his belt as he had led South Africa in the past. However, this will be the first time he will be leading any IPL franchise full-time. Faf has led teams like Comilla Victorians, Paarl Rocks, St Kitts, and Nevis Patriots, and St Lucia Kings in the past.

“I can’t be happier for the team and Faf. He is a good friend and we get along very well. Looking forward to a good season,” said Kohli, the outgoing captain.

Faf will become RCB’s seventh captain after Rahul Dravid, Kevin Pietersen, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Shane Watson, and Virat Kohli. Kohli led the team in 140 matches out of which they won 64 and lost 69 with three ties and four no results. The former skipper couldn’t lead the team to any silverware.

“Coming in as an outsider, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity,” du Plessis said following the appointment. “It’s no small thing to trust an outsider, an overseas player to do the job as a leader. My style in doing that is not going to be ‘my way’. I will rely heavily on amazing experience of our domestic and international players.

“Having been a leader for a while, I’ve been on the journey for creating a culture, it’s close to my heart. First and foremost, my style will be a relational style. To connect with players and start to get to know everyone. The first part of my journey would be to build relationships, try and make sure what are the small things that make each individual tick and how to get the best out of them.”

Meanwhile, Faf du Plessis had scored 633 runs in the previous season while playing for Chennai Super League and finished as the second-highest run-getter of the tournament. The right-hander made his IPL debut back in the 2012 season with CSK.

The talisman has amassed 2935 runs at an average of 34.94 and a strike rate of 131.08, with 22 half-centuries in 100 IPL matches so far and he would look to lead RCB from the front.

RCB will begin their IPL 2022 campaign on March 27 against Punjab Kings at the DY Patil stadium in Mumbai.