There's a similarity in MS and my captaincy style: Faf du Plessis

On Saturday, 12th March, Royal Challengers Bangalore appointed Faf du Plessis as the skipper of the team before the commencement of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. 

After plying his trade for the Chennai Super Kings and the now-defunct, Rising Pune Supergiants under the leadership of MS Dhoni, du Plessis feels his style of captaincy is similar to Captain Cool.  

In conversation with the RCB website, the right-handed batter said, "I'm very lucky that I've been around some fantastic leaders in my journey in cricket. I grew in with Graeme Smith, who is South Africa's best leader ever."

"And then in the ten years with MS and Stephen Fleming, two fantastic leaders. I do think that there's a similarity in MS style and my style in terms that we both are very relaxed characters," he further added. 

The 37-year old was picked by the Bangalore outfit after an aggressive bidding war between the Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals for a whopping seven crores. 

The Leader of the Pride is here!

Captain of RCB, @faf1307! 🔥#PlayBold #RCBCaptain #RCBUnbox #ForOur12thMan #UnboxTheBold pic.twitter.com/UfmrHBrZcb

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 12, 2022

Despite having a plethora of stars in their outfit, Bangalore are in search of their maiden IPL title and will look to carve their name in the record books after falling agonisingly short on three occasions. 

Over a decade long professional career, du Plessis captained the national side and will bring in a wealth of experience for the Bangalore side. The opening batter is not new to the extravaganza and understands the pressure of leading in this high-voltage tournament. 

Sharing insights on the influence of MS Dhoni, he said, "What it taught me was that there were different styles, but it was important that you need to be your own style."

"Because that's the thing that always comes through when the pressure is on. So, I can't try to be Virat Kohli because I'm not Virat Kohli. I can't try to be MS Dhoni."

"But there are things I've learned that helped me grow my leadership style and mature. So, I'm grateful for that journey," he further added. 

Du Plessis also heaped praises on MS Dhoni and stated the records set by the 40-year old makes him the most successful captain.

"MS (Dhoni) is a fantastic leader and has probably had the most success in terms of silverware than any other captain in the world. It's been a privilege to be a part of that journey," he concluded.

RCB, under Du Plessis, will open their campaign against Punjab Kings in Mumbai on March 27. 

(With inputs from PTI)