"I'm not a huge fan of Faf du Plessis" - Shoaib Akhtar makes big statement on RCB captain for IPL 2022
Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar has stated that he is not a big fan of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper for IPL 2022, Faf du Plessis. Akhtar said that he has reservations about the Proteas cricketer’s leadership qualities and is not sure how far he can take the Bangalore franchise.
37-year-old Du Plessis was named RCB captain after Virat Kohli left the post following the IPL 2021 edition. The South African batter, who earlier had a successful stint with the Chennai franchise, was purchased by Bangalore for ₹7 crore at the IPL auction earlier this year.
According to the IPL 2022 schedule, RCB will be in action on Tuesday when they face the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Previewing the IPL 2022 clash on Sportskeeda’s special show "SK Match Ki Baat", Akhtar shared his candid views on the RCB captain. He said:
“Virat has quit leadership and Du Plessis has taken over, so he will lead in his own way. I am not a huge fan of Faf du Plessis because I don’t see anything (special) in his captaincy.”
Terming Kohli an unfortunate captain, the "Rawalpindi Express" added that his successor has a big point to prove. Akhtar opined:
“Virat has been a very unfortunate captain for both India and RCB. He tried his best, but it didn’t work for them. Having said that, Faf has a point to prove. At times, he doesn’t look that sharp during his leadership. He has been given the responsibility of leading a huge franchise, so let’s see if he is able to revive their fortunes.”
Admitting that the former South African captain will not be overshadowed by Kohli, the 46-year-old concluded:
“He played for Chennai for a long time and he has a good idea of how things work. However, I am not sure how far Faf will go from here. If he does that, hats off to him, but I still have my reservations.”
Du Plessis was the second-leading run-getter in IPL 2021 with 633 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.20.
To see list of IPL winner, click here.
How RCB have performed under Faf du Plessis in IPL 2022 so far
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A Royal Battle is on our hands and this is going to be nothing short of entertaining! 🤩🙌🏻
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Bangalore have played two matches in IPL 2022 so far, winning and losing one apiece. They went down to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by five wickets despite putting up 205 for two on the board. The skipper himself top-scored for the franchise with 88 off 57 deliveries in the match.
RCB then defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by three wickets in their second IPL 2022 game. Chasing 129, they stumbled to 17 for three before the lower order guided the IPL team home.