It was in 2012 that Faf du Plessis made his IPL debut and for a decade after that, he remained a pillar of strength for CSK. Faf was a player CSK desperately wanted to retain but RCB bid aggressively for the former South African captain and acquired his services from the auction this time around.
RCB also made Faf their skipper in place of Virat Kohli and now it’s under the guidance of the 37-year-old that the Bengaluru franchise is looking to turn things around. While RCB have remained an underachiever in IPL, their performances against southern rivals CSK have been far from impressive over the years.
CSK have had a stranglehold over RCB, but one man who knows all about this dominance is Faf himself. He knows exactly how CSK plan to keep Virat Kohli at bay and he will use all the information to help RCB turn the tables.
While Faf ’s experience and understanding will be crucial in their game against the four-time champions on Tuesday, there’s absolutely no doubt that CSK haven’t been able to fill the hole that has been created by the South African’s departure.
He had scored 633 runs for the franchise in 2021 and the man who had pipped him to the Orange Cap by two runs, Ruturaj Gaikwad, has lost touch this season. The CSK opening partnership has underperformed thoroughly, leading to four defeats in a row, and that’s where RCB will look to cash in.
It will be interesting to see if Faf brings in another CSK teammate who is in RCB now, Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood joined the RCB camp late and that’s why he wasn’t part of their first three wins in four games. Tuesday’s game is at DY Patil Stadium, where the pitch favours pacemen who are adept at bowling back of the length.
Hazlewood’s area of strength is precisely that and add to that his knowledge of the CSK batsmen, it’s going to be a tempting option for Faf to include him ahead of left-arm pacer David Willey.
RCB, though, will miss Harshal Patel, whose sister passed away on Saturday.
