When Faf du Plessis was appointed as the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, he had big responsibility on his shoulders- to bring in a new culture, style and more importantly more success to the franchise.
And the South African has managed all of that with the franchise placed second in the IPL standings after playing 7 matches so far.
At the 2022 IPL auction, RCB bought Faf du Plessis for Rs 7 crore after Chennai Super Kings surprisingly elected to not retain him or bid aggressively for him in the auction. One month later, he was announced as the franchise's new captain with Virat having elected to step down from the role at the end of the 2021 season.
The management may well have made the decision at the right juncture, but it took a bit of time for the team's fans to register and lock in their minds that the Proteas batter has taken over the reins. That process was quickened by Faf's own impactful batting at the top and his decisive leadership skills which saw the team make a brilliant start to the season, helping him win over the fans and the trust of the management.
Under Kohli's leadership, RCB were one of the most popular teams in the IPL. They had a star-studded playing line-up over the years and most of them used to win matches for RCB with their individual brilliance, but somehow they failed to win a title for them.
Now, the beauty of the team currently led by du Plessis is that they are not dependent on just one or two individuals for their win and the team is playing like a collective unit. Yes, there are stars like Kohli and Maxwell in the RCB line-up, but it's the lesser-known players who have punched above their weight, and du Plessis has played a vital role in getting the best out of them.
Often, it's said that a leader is as good as his team, but in cricket a good captain is the main decision maker and should know how to optimise his resources. The likes of Rohit Sharma (5 titles), MS Dhoni (4 titles) and Gautam Gambhir (2 titles) have already proved that with their leadership skills in the past.
Du Plessis -- The Captain
There are a few important qualities -- like commanding respect, skills to get the best out of every individual, positive communication skills, strategic intelligence and taking accountability -- which are often seen by the experts or pundits of the game to judge a captain and Faf has almost ticked all these boxes quite well so far.
Whether it's his batting at the top-order and scoring a bulk of runs for RCB, rotating his bowlers well, holding his nerves under tense situations, Faf has led from the front for the franchise this season, and deservingly has earned the respect from his team-mates.
RCB have always been a batting-heavy side and it's often the bowling which has let them down over the years. But the situation has changed this season and Faf has used the likes of Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mohammed Siraj cleverly to restrict the opposition batters.
For example, Siraj who is clearly not having his best IPL season, is being used in the powerplay and middle overs, while in-form Harshal and Hazlewood have been given the task of bowling the crucial death overs. The RCB skipper has also used Hasaranga at different stages of the game, keeping in mind the opposition batters.
Other spinners -- Shahbaz and Maxwell -- have also chipped in with impactful performances during middle overs with the ball for RCB.
Du Plessis -- The Batter
The veteran batter from South Africa started his IPL journey with CSK and played for them till the 2021 season where he played an all-important knock in the final, scoring 86 runs off 59 deliveries. Overall, he scored 633 runs in that season and played a crucial role in CSK's fourth title win.
And, he is exactly on the same path for RCB as well, scoring 250 runs in seven matches.
Faf started his journey as RCB captain with a sensational knock of 88 runs in his very first match for them. However, he had scores of 5, 29, 16, 8, 8 in the next five matches before he made a roaring comeback with an innings of 96 runs in RCB's last game and led them to victory.
He is opening the batting with youngster Anuj Rawat, who hasn't been consistent enough so far with the bat while Virat, who bats at No 3, has been far from his best and Maxwell has joined RCB late due to his wedding. So, automatically, the situation puts more pressure on du Plessis but he hasn't let it affect his captaincy.
Unlike the previous season where the big names like Kohli and AB de Villiers used to a score bulk of the runs for RCB, it's another veteran Dinesh Karthik and dependable Shahbaz Ahmed, who have bailed the Faf-led side out of trouble. Karthik, who has played for many franchises in the past, perhaps has saved his best for RCB. He has been in sensational form in the ongoing IPL season and has already shown his ambition to play for the country again.
The RCB skipper is also mighty pleased with DK's performance with the bat this season.
"The way DK is playing at the moment, I may sound like a broken record, but he is playing the best he has ever. He is so clear, calm, and composed. We considered batting first tonight, but the dew is a factor," said Faf about Karthik.
Overall, whether it's batting, bowling or fielding, RCB are looking like a side to beat this year and du Plessis certainly has a massive role in that. The best thing a captain can do is give clarity to players about their roles in the side and it seems the South African has done it exceptionally.
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