Current RCB captain and former CSK player Faf du Plessis said he is fortunate to have played under some influential leaders in the past and that he would look to create his own style of captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
During the RCB unbox event, the Bangalore-based franchise reveals their new captain along with much more updates. Faf du Plessis replaces Virat Kohli’s position who had stepped down from the role at the end of the IPL 2021.
Faf Praises MS Dhoni
The South Africa batter had spent close to a decade with Chennai Super Kings before he was bought at the IPL 2022 mega auction by RCB for Rs 7 crore.
Speaking to the IPL on Friday, Faf du Plessis said he had the golden opportunity to work under MS Dhoni and observe from close quarters how he successfully led Chennai Super Kings over the years.
“I have played under some very good leaders. Graeme Smith was one, he had some strong qualities as a leader that really stood out.
“And then when I moved to Chennai, I was very lucky to have played MS Dhoni for a very long time. I got to see closely how his brain works, how things operate under him which was very fortunate for me.
“Also, Stephen Fleming. He had been a very good leader at the international level, now a well-established coach,” du Plessis said.
Faf du Plessis Over his Captaincy Role
There will be considerable pressure on du Plessis, who is taking over one of the most-followed franchises in RCB. Kohli had been an influential leader but the former India captain was not able to win the elusive title during his tenure at the helm.
Du Plessis reiterated that his captaincy will be a collaborative approach and he will always seek the support of leaders in the group, including Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and newly recruited Dinesh Karthik.
“Every captain has his strengths. The icing for me has been over my time, I have been able to look at these leaders and identify their strengths and also find my own way. I think it’s really important that you are who you are and add those things that you have learnt from others to your style of captaincy.
“I am lucky to have a group of leaders in the side. Virat has captained his country for an extremely long time. He has been a very good leader for Indian cricket and for RCB. That experience and wisdom and knowledge that comes with him is second to none.
“Then there is Glenn Maxwell, he has captained a lot in T20 cricket and the same with Dinesh Karthik, who has led I am the kind of leader that relies on a lot of people. I will be pulling them close to make sure we use all of that information,” he added.
RCB will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Punjab Kings in Mumbai on Sunday, a day after the opening match between CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders.
