Ravindra Jadeja led Chennai Super Kings will take on Faf du Plessis led Royal Challengers Bangalore in DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Tuesday evening.
Faf du Plessis Praises CSK
Interestingly, this time MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli won’t walk in for the toss instead newly appointed captain Ravindra Jadeja will shake hands with ex-CSK player Faf du Plessis(RCB captain) while tossing.
Faf du Plessis had spent nearly a decade with CSK and nearly won the Orange Cap in their campaign-winning run last year. Du Plessis, however, was not retained by CSK which came as a big disappointment to Chennai fans before he was bought by RCB at the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Speaking on the eve of what could prove to be an emotional contest for Faf du Plessis, the South African star said he felt better when meeting his former teammates on Monday but it was awkward when the two team arrived in Mumbai to train ahead of IPL 2022.
“It’s better than how I felt during the first practice when we got here with the same team. It felt a little awkward,” Faf du Plessis told the RCB website.
“But now that the tournament has been happening and things have unfolded the way they have, I think it’s going to be a cracker. I know, having been on the other side, CSK vs RCB is a massive game,” he added.
Faf du Plessis has begun well as RCB captain, helping the former finalists win 3 out of their first 4 matches. RCB are heading into the crunch contest after hammering Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets. On the other hand, CSK has begun on a worst-possible note, losing their first 4 matches.
RCB, who are looking like a well-oiled machine, are the overwhelming favourites against CSK but skipper du Plessis said he is not going to take the 4-time champions lightly.
“I think we are playing some nice cricket at the moment. We have got a bit of form going on at the moment. We also know that Chennai is a team you can never write off. They have got some incredible cricketers there. So it will be a great game, looking forward to it,” du Plessis added.
RCB have also been bolstered by the availability of Josh Hazlewood, who had been an integral part of CSK’s title-winning run last year.
Faf du Plessis played down the advantage of familiarity with CSK, saying it’s a double-edged sword.
“In theory yes, you know all the players well. But the flip side is they know my game very well as well. But it helps that you know a little bit more about their strengths.”
