The Royal Challengers Bangalore have named South African batsman Faf du Plessis captain ahead of the 2022 Indian Premier League.
Du Plessis has succeed former captain Virat Kohli.
Du Plessis previously represented the Chennai Super Kings, but moved to Bangalore for the approximate equivalent of R14 million during last month’s player auction.
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What du Plessis said
“Coming in as an outsider, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity,” said du Plessis, who won the IPL four times with Chennai.
“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 the them.”
What Kohli said
“I couldn’t be happier to pass on the baton to a good friend, someone I’ve known over the years,” said Kohli.
“We’ve been in touch for many years now. He’s one of the few guys I’ve gotten to know a little bit more apart from the cricket. My partnership with Faf is going to be exciting. The squad we’ve put together is amazing. Our team looks balanced and strong, and I can’t wait to get started.”
The 37-year-old du Plessis has played in several domestic T20 leagues around the world, including Australia’s Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, Pakistan Super League and others.