IPL 2022: Faf du Plessis takes over from Virat Kohli as captain at RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans hoped for Virat Kohli to reconsider his decision to step down as skipper, they were left disappointed on Saturday. On expected lines, RCB announced Faf du Plessis as the captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Following Kohli’s call to relinquish captaincy at the end of last season and AB de Villiers’s retirement, RCB had to pick a player at the mega auction suitable to lead the side.

With no investment in young leaders, RCB’s choice revolved around three players — du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik and retained Glenn Maxwell. Speaking about taking over as the captain of a team that is yet to win a title, du Plessis, know as much for his batting as for his agile fielding skills, said, "The opportunity to be the captain of a franchise like RCB is massive and a role I was glad to accept."

Extending his wishes to du Plessis, Mike Hesson, RCB's director of cricket operations, stated, "Faf is not only a world class player, he has also shown tremendous ability to lead on the international stage in all three formats of the game."