"It might also liberate Virat Kohli the batter" - Aakash Chopra on Faf du Plessis taking over RCB captaincy for IPL 2022
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis will emerge as the team's highest run-scorer in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
Speaking on his YouTube channel on Friday, Chopra stated that while he wants Virat Kohli to do well, it is du Plessis who is likely to be their top performer with the bat.
The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that du Plessis taking over the captaincy reins could benefit the team. He feels that this would also allow Kohli to play freely as a batter. Chopra said:
"Who will be the highest run-scorer for RCB? My heart says this should be Virat Kohli's year with a 1000-run season. That's the kind of feeling that you want. But I'm going with Faf du Plessis. He is going to be the opener and he is in decent form. I want Kohli to score the most number of runs but I'll go with Faf."
"Having Faf as captain could be a good thing for the franchise. At times, you want to go in a new direction. It might also liberate Virat Kohli the batter as he will have no other pressure to deal with."
Bangalore will begin their IPL 2022 campaign on March 27 with their clash against Punjab Kings at the DY Patil Stadium. RCB, who are still in search of their maiden championship title, will look to get off to a flying start by securing a dominant win in their first encounter of the season.
Watch Aakash Chopra's full video here:
"The bowler who bowls in the death overs is likely to take more wickets" - Aakash Chopra
Chopra has backed Harshal Patel to finish as RCB's leading wicket-taker this year as well, considering that he is going to be their death bowler. He suggested that Mohammed Siraj was also one of the contenders. However, according to Chopra, Patel will take the most wickets for RCB.
He added:
"For the most number of wickets, there is a toss-up between Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj. Because the bowler who bowls in the death overs is likely to take more wickets. Harshal is their death bowler so I'll pick him."
Aakash Chopra's preferred RCB XI for IPL 2022:
Faf du Plessis, Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik, Mahipal Lomror, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed/Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood/ Siddharth Kaul