Top 3 Faf du Plessis knocks as captain in T20 cricket
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) announced former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis as their new captain at the Unbox Event in Bengaluru on Saturday. He was signed up by the franchise for ₹7 crore following the IPL mega auction.
Faf has an impressive T20 career record - 7140 runs in 260 innings at an average of 31.17 and a strike rate of 129.65. Playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he was also the second-highest run-getter (633 runs) in the previous edition of the IPL.
to wish @faf1307 the best for this new role he’ll be taking up. 
New Season. New Captain. New Era. 😎
It’s time to back our new leader who is going to take this team into #IPL2022 with the same #PlayBold philosophy and #ChallengerSpirit. 🤩
Drop a ❤️ to wish @faf1307 the best for this new role he’ll be taking up.
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Now that he has been made captain, RCB fans would be hoping for Faf du Plessis to lead from the front. Apart from succeeding as a captain, the former South African batsman would also be looked upon to get important runs for the side.
This is something Faf has done before in his career, albeit for different teams. Let's take a look at his top 3 knocks while captaining in the shortest format.
#3 101 (54) vs Khulna Tigers, Mirpur 2022
The Comilla Victorians won the toss and opted to bat first against the Khulna Tigers in a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match. Captain Faf du Plessis walked in to bat at 31/2 in the 4th over of the innings.
He played very aggressively despite it being a tough wicket to bat on. Faf maintained a brisk scoring rate and reached his half-century in just 30 deliveries, during the 13th over.
The former Proteas batsman then accelerated further even though wickets kept falling around him. He hit Farhad Reza and Naveen ul Haq in the death overs for several boundaries and brought up his hundred in the 18th over. This knock included 12 fours and 3 sixes in the 54 balls.
This innings was played on the day Faf du Plessis was signed by RCB at the IPL mega auction. RCB fans will hope that he comes into the tournament carrying the same sort of form.
#2 119 (56) vs West Indies, Johannesburg 2015
11 January 2015📅 11 January 2015
🏏 South Africa vs West Indies
@faf1307's 119 against West Indies is one of the greatest T20I innings, hitting 11 fours and five sixes, at a strike rate of 212.50! Having not been included in the T20I squad for the India series, will the Proteas miss him? https://t.co/T8RZr0t49Z
West Indies won the toss and put South Africa in to bat in the second T20I of this series. They lost two early wickets - Morne van Wyk and Rilee Rossouw - within the first three overs, which meant there was a lot of responsibility on the captain's shoulders.
Faf du Plessis played his shots from the word go. He took apart left-arm spinner Suleimann Benn for a six and 3 fours in the final over of the powerplay, keeping the scoring rate up, along with David Miller. The two added 100 runs in just 8 overs, after which Miller got out for an explosive 47.
Du Plessis brought up his first T20 international century off just 46 deliveries - one of the fastest hundreds by a South African in the format. He finally got out in the 19th over of the game. Faf hit 11 fours and 5 sixes during his 56-ball stay at the crease.
However, West Indies ended up chasing down a target of 232 set by South Africa thanks to a masterclass from Chris Gayle (90 off 41 balls). They won by 4 wickets and 4 balls to spare, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.
#1 120* (60) vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Basseterre 2021
In this Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match, St Lucia Kings won the toss and elected to bat first. Faf du Plessis was leading the team in a match that would eventually see his first T20 hundred in a franchise-based tournament.
Faf made sure to take the attack to the opposition right from the Powerplay overs. He scored 49 runs off just 24 deliveries and took apart the likes of Naseem Shah, Sheldon Cottrell, and Dwayne Bravo. However, his opening partner, Andre Fletcher (23) was dismissed by Fabian Allen in the 7th over of the innings.
Faf du Plessis then slowed down a bit, until the 12th over, after which he hit 3 fours off Bravo. He paced his innings superbly, taking on the right bowlers in the course of his 60-ball stay at the crease.
His partnership with Roston Chase (64*) took SLK to 224/2 in the first innings. They won the match comfortably by 100 runs, despite a lone warrior effort from Evin Lewis.