Leg and off: Should RCB retain Faf du Plessis for IPL 2025?
There have been times when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have craved for a fresh start, to untangle themselves from the consequences of their own poor decision-making. The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega-auction is a fresh start for many franchises to capitalize upon, but there will be mixed reactions when RCB are considered.
They do need a fresh start despite a playoffs finish in the last campaign. Their incredible second half does not take away the shambolic first half of the tournament. There were glaring issues.
The two ingredients needed for a rebuild are a hefty purse and good decision-making at the auction table. RCB have had the former on numerous occasions, but the latter only on a sporadic basis.
Now that the franchise reaches yet another critical juncture, one which lays the foundation for the next set of seasons, they have to make the hard decision regarding du Plessis' future before they can move to anything else.
On that note, let us take a look at the possible angles that lean towards and against du Plesiss' retention by RCB.
Age is just a number, but holds a lot of relevance from a long-term planning point of view
There is nothing concrete so far to show that du Plessis has fallen victim to inevitable ageing. He is still among the runs, still diving around like a youth, and the hunger is there. However, the player being retained is a long-term bond of three years rather than a mere annual retention.
Age is bound to catch up at some time or the other, no matter how you train or maintain the discipline. The reflexes are bound to lag, the stamina is affected and fatigue sets in quickly. Now is an ageing candidate the right choice to be the face of RCB for yet another cycle?
There are veterans like MS Dhoni who might be retained, but du Plessis' role as an opener and captain, makes the prospect tricky.
As mentioned earlier, there has been nothing solid to suggest that du Plessis has slowed down, but there certainly have been signs. He played a handful of matches as an impact player due to injury, and had undergone surgery on his elbow, which affected his returns in franchise cricket for a while.
Although he has been among the runs in the ongoing 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the recently concluded Major League Cricket (MLC), it certainly is a concern when IPL's three-year cycle is concerned.
RCB will need to shell out a lot to replace what du Plessis brought to the table
RCB had two primary issues among many after the 2021 season. They needed a new opening batter after releasing Devdutt Padikkal, and they were on the lookout for a new captain after Kohli stepped down. du Plessis emerged as the candidate who was ideal for both roles singlehandedly. He also brought with him his wealth of experience both as a player and a leader, along with his electric fielding ability.
Finding Kohli's new opening partner and a new captain will certainly not be an easy task. It may well be possible that RCB may have to recruit two different names to fill the void left by du Plessis, if he is released. Auctions have shown from the very first day that you do not always get your preferred targets and that Plan Bs often fails.
From that perspective, having du Plessis on board seems like a cushion, and it will not add too much pressure on RCB at the auction table as they need to assemble the extras rather than the core of the core in many forms.
Faf du Plessis' retention with a steep retention slab price does not make sense from a financial standpoint
If there is anything that the latest IPL retention rules have taught us, is the fact that only retain players if they are absolutely indispensable or irreplaceable to a degree. This is primarily because of the new retention slabs that have been put in place. Hypothetically if a team chooses to make maximum possible retentions, then they will walk into the mega auction with way less than even half of their purse.
Constructing the majority of the squad with such a limited amount will be tricky, and the end result will always be inferior in quality, which continues RCB's common theme of disparity across the squad.
If RCB wish to introduce balance into their squad, and construct a solid bowling unit, the issues that have plagued them since forever, they have to go into the auction with a stacked purse. Only that will enable to compete against other franchises on the auction floors and get into the bidding wars.
RCB anyways have sureshot retentions in the form of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, who form the backbone of the batting and bowling departments respectively. Given how long it has taken them to find a credible Indian batter, Rajat Patidar is a tempting option for INR 11 crore. However, using up the remaining 32 crores for retentions when there are no players truly worth that amount is a risk, when you can have that amount in the auction purse, and have the RTM option as well.
RCB could yet again fall victim to making too many changes at once
Although RCB are placed on par with serial trophy winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), they have a completely different ideology compared to the two heavyweights. There has been no stability or logical continuity of any sort in the franchise in terms of personnel, coaching staff or approach since years.
Now the upcoming chance to shake things up can be perceived as a positive, but it could also backfire. So many teams have endured a bad cycle of seasons after poor decision-making, questionable decisions at the auction table, and introducing too many changes in a short frame of time.
If a massive presence like du Plessis also leaves, it will lead to another barrage of changes in terms of leadership, ideology, and team culture. Whereas, if the rebuild is conducted in du Plessis' supervision, then at least the foundation is maintained.
Furthermore, one cannot help but feel that the captain-coach combination of du Plessis-Andy Flower arguably deserves another shot. When Flower took charge of the team in 2024, he inherited a squad with the provision of making minor tweaks. This time around he has a free hand to construct a fresh squad, and with him being one of the most renowned T20 coaches, there are unlikely to be any rash decisions.
The captain-coach duo have worked together with the St.Lucia Kings in the 2021 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), where they finished as runners-up. They played a huge hand in RCB's turnaround in the 2024 IPL season, and a solitary campaign seems too short for their unfulfilled alliance.
To conclude, keeping the long-term goals in mind rather than du Plessis' ability, it seems that releasing the veteran might just be the right call so that they do not get steamrolled at the auction. Should the stars align and he is available for a lower price, RCB can consider if there is a slot, but it is hard to consider the veteran being a bonafide retained player with a tag of over INR 10 crore at this stage. Several experts like Tom Moody and Aakash Chopra have already opined that RCB should not look to retain du Plessis.