Follow UsFormer South Africa captain Faf du Plessis says the thought of leading Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has crossed his mind.
Du Plessis spent a decade with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but despite their best efforts in the IPL 2022 auction, they could not hang on to their star player and it was RCB, who acquired his services for INR 7 crore.
With Virat Kohli no longer the captain, there is ought to be a toss-up between du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik, who had led Kolkata Knight Riders in the past.
“The thought has crossed my mind. When you look at someone like myself, and you know, what is the package... it is obviously batsman and experience but also part of that package is leadership. It's something I've done for a very long time,” du Plessis told RevSports.
Du Plessis also revealed that he was part of the leadership group at CSK and would often have discussions with MS Dhoni over some key decisions. “I've been lucky enough to play under some great leaders as well. But I haven't had any conversations regarding that so it has pretty much just been a thought," du Plessis said
"And whether I'm captain or not, there's always an element of what I bring to the table which is that leadership and experience on the field. Even when MS was the captain, I'd be up in his ear pretty much the whole time and try and add value as much as I can."
RCB Sanjay Bangar too had indicated that du Plessis could be a key figure when it comes to his leadership skills.
"The addition of Faf du Plessis adds real strength to the batting department. He is a proven performer, a seasoned campaigner and has delivered at the highest levels," Bangar said in a release from the franchise, a day after the auction.
"We were looking at someone who can solidify our top order and his inclusion into the team solves just that, with diverse experience of playing across formats gives us options, not only in terms of opening the batting line but also with leadership skills."