South Africa cricketer Faf du Plessis has been appointed as the new captain of Team Bangalore for the upcoming edition of the Indian T20 League.
The 37-year-old replaced Virat Kohli, who stepped down as the skipper at the end of Indian T20 League 2021 in UAE citing workload management.
Kohli captained Team Bangalore in 140 matches in the Indian T20 League between 2011 and 2021, registering 64 wins, 69 losses and three draws. Four games ended with no result.
Faf du Plessis has become the seventh captain to lead the franchise after Rahul Dravid, Kevin Pietersen, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori, Virat Kohli and Shane Watson.
Having previously represented Team Chennai and the now-defunct Team Pune in the Indian T20 League, du Plessis was roped in by Team Bangalore for INR 7 crore at the mega auction held in February.
The Pretoria-born cricketer has played 100 Indian T20 League matches, amassing 2,935 runs at a strike rate of 131.08 while also maintaining an average of 34.94. He has also registered 22 fifties to his name.
Faf was in staggering form for Team Chennai last season, accumulating 633 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.20. His opening partnership alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad was one of the prime reasons which helped Chennai clinch their fourth Indian T20 League title last season.
Faf du Plessis’ captaincy record in Indian T20 League
So far, Faf du Plessis has never captained a team in an Indian T20 League match. The new Bangalore captain will make his Indian T20 League captaincy debut this season.
However, du Plessis has immense experience in leading a high-profile cricket team as he has captained South Africa in 36 Tests, 39 ODIs and 40 T20Is. As South Africa captain, du Plessis has registered 70 wins in 115 matches with a win percentage of 60.86.
He also led the Proteas in three ICC tournaments, including T20 World Cups in 2014 and 2016 and the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.
Featured photo: NOAH SEELAM / Phill Magakoe / AFP
