How Proteas fared at the IPL: South Africans blow hot and cold as Faf outshines, Rabada slumps

The round-robin stages of the Indian Premier League have come and gone and among the South African contingent there have been some standout performances and some not-so showstopping displays.

Sixteen South Africans were in India, competing in this year's 16th edition, with three players making their IPL debut.

However, two SA cricketers didn't get any game time for their IPL franchises, including teen sensation Dewald Brevis for the Mumbai Indians, coached by Mark Boucher, and Rajasthan Royals' Donovan Ferreira. 

News24 takes a look at how the South Africans have fared so far in the IPL:

Faf du Plessis (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - 730 runs at an average  56.15 , strike rate: 153.68 

Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis stole the headlines with eight half-centuries in 14 innings.

Du Plessis and Virat Kohli proved a fearsome opening partnership for Bangalore as they dominated with the bat.

The former Proteas skipper's excellent form has led to calls for his return to the national line-up, despite not having played for his country since 2019.

READ | Proteas will be 'missing a trick' if they don't take Faf to the World Cup, says RCB teammate 

Du Plessis continued to dominate the run-scoring charts as he breached the 700-run mark for the season.

While Bangalore fell short in securing a playoff spot, Du Plessis's purple patch was the talk of the IPL.

Quinton de Kock (Lucknow Super Giants) - 143 runs at a average of 35.75, strike rate at 140.19

De Kock warmed the Lucknow Super Giants bench for over a month as his side opted for the overseas talent of Kyle Mayers and Nicolas Pooran.

A month into the competition, De Kock finally formed part of the Giants' starting XI and came back with a bang, smashing 70 off 41 balls. 

De Kock has