IPL 2022 auction: Mike Hesson explains why Royal Challengers Bangalore roped in Faf du Plessis

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis was roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction on Saturday. De Plessis was involved in a bidding war between RCB, Delhi Capitals (DC), and his former franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

However, the Challengers won the battle in the end and acquired the services of Du Plessis by investing INR 7 crore. Notably, the ex-CSK star has been one of the most consistent players in the IPL, scoring 2935 runs in 100 matches. In fact, he was in splendid form for CSK during their victorious run in the IPL 2021 campaign. The right-handed batter had made 633 runs in 16 matches.

When it comes to RCB, Du Plessis is certainly a great buy as the ex-South African superstar brings both opener and captain options with him. The 37-year-old can open the innings with former RCB skipper Virat Kohli and can also lead the side.

RCB’s Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson also shared similar thoughts, stating that they rate Du Plessis as a top-order batter and an important leader in the group.

“We see him as a highly experienced player at the top of the order. It allows us to look at how we balance our side. He is also a really important leader in the group, so really delighted to have him”, said Hesson while speaking to the RCB’s social media handle.

Although there hasn’t been any confirmation regarding the role of Du Plessis, former India opener Aakash Chopra was 100 per cent confident that RCB will make Du Plessis the captain.

“100 percent. In my opinion, he is their captain. They will eventually announce it for sure. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone that hard for that long because there are other options available,” Chopra told Star Sports.

Notably, RCB had earlier retained three players in the form of Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammad Siraj. They retained Kohli for INR 15 crores, Maxwell for INR 11 crores and Siraj for INR 7 crores.

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February 13, 2022 at 04:41PM