Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have bought former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Faf du Plessis, making him the first player to join the franchise at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Mega Auction on Saturday, 12 February.
While Faf joining RCB may mean the start of an exciting journey for the 37-year-old who could possibly take over the role of captain, it also marks the end of a long journey for the South African with the Chennai Super Kings.
Last season, Faf completed 100 matches for the franchise and has been part of many title-winning campaigns for the team since joining them in 2011. But with teams only being allowed to retain four players, CSK released Faf at the end of the 2021 season.
His former team posted on its official Instagram page to show their love for the player. "#SuperKingForever", the post said.
Du Plessis' wife, Imari du Plessis, who often travelled with him during previous IPL campaigns, also took to her Instagram page and said, "To endings that leave our hearts full and exciting new beginnings that allow us to dream new dreams."
The former South Africa captain was part of the Chennai Super Kings side from 2018 up until the last season, and was a crucial cog in the wheel. Along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, the South African had an impactful season last year as he scored 633 runs at a strike rate of 138.20, with six half-centuries to go alongside.
Overall, in the IPL, Faf has played 100 matches and scored 2,935 runs with a healthy strike rate of 131.08, including 22 half-centuries. The 37-year-old has been among the better batters in recent seasons, scoring 2,020 runs since the 2015 season.
An assured batter at the top of the order, Faf is also an excellent fielder and brings a massive amount of experience into the situation. The South African has also been a regular in the CSK side for quite a few years. He played for them from 2011-2015 before joining MS Dhoni at the Rising Pune Super Giant side for two years when CSK were serving a ban. In 2018, Faf was back in the yellow along with MS and continued to do his thing to good effect.
He had listed himself at a base price of INR 2 Crore.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)