Faf du Plessis to Captain RCB in IPL 2022

At the end of the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it was an emotional moment for Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore as he decided to step down as captain. With plenty of pressure building because of his lack of trophies in the domestic as well as international circuit, questions were being asked about his captaincy and Kohli decided to step down as RCB captain after IPL 2021.

And once the emotional moments were over, it was time for the trophy-less franchise to hunt for a new captain. They didn’t have too many options in the squad and they were surely looking for a new signing with plenty of international experience as well as a good addition to the squad. And they found that in former South African captain Faf du Plessis.

Faf du Plessis to lead RCB in IPL 2022

After the IPL 2022 Auction, we all knew that it had to be du Plessis who would be announced to lead the side. They didn’t pick too many other experienced players and as for Faf, he’s played in almost every T20 franchise leagues across different continents and in different conditions. Eventually, the franchise announced him as the new captain for IPL 2022 and onwards.

You may think that Faf is quite old now, aged 37 years but he’s been in prime form and fitness. It was only last year that he helped take CSK to the IPL 2021 title after a fabulous knock in the final. In fact, his consistency through the series was outstanding, finishing only behind his opening partner Ruturaj Gaikad on the Orange Cap list for IPL 2021, with 633 runs in 16 games including 6 fifties.

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Another option that RCB could’ve used was that of signing Glenn Maxwell as captain. He’s another player who has done brilliantly in T20 leagues across the world and even captains his side Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League in Australia. However, Maxi played IPL 2021 with a lot of freedom and it wouldn’t be fair to him to burden him with the captaincy of the team.

“Coming in as an outsider, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity. It’s no small thing to trust an outsider, an overseas player to do the job as a leader 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,” said Faf du Plessis after being announced as captain of the franchise.

“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 the them,” he added.

“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 the outgoing RCB captain, Kohli. It’s been 14 seasons in the IPL so far and the Bangalore franchise is yet to win an IPL title, so fans are hoping this change in leadership will bring about the change they need.

New Season. New Captain. New Era. 😎
It’s time to back our new leader who is going to take this team into #IPL2022 with the same #PlayBold philosophy and #ChallengerSpirit. 🤩
Drop a ❤️ to wish @faf1307 the best for this new role he’ll be taking up. #RCBUnbox #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/MUQmgmTMhh
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 12, 2022