Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf Du Plessis expressed his surprise over the mid-season captaincy transfer in the Chennai Super Kings camp. Ahead of Chennai’s match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ravindra Jadeja announced his decision to hand over the captaincy reigns back to MS Dhoni.
Notably, Dhoni before the start of the IPL 2022 season, had given the captaincy duties to Ravindra Jadeja. However, as the all-rounder was unable to cope with the responsibilities and the pressure, Dhoni took back the post. Under Jadeja’s leadership, Chennai could win only two of their first eight matches.
Chennai Super Kings are placed ninth on the points table, with six points from nine matches at the moment. Faf Du Plessis, former Chennai Super Kings player, and now the skipper of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, was surprised by the captaincy change. He said on RCB Match Day,
“I’m surprised that the captaincy change happened midseason, but I was also surprised at the way it happened the way before the season. So, it is like two surprises canceling each other out. Obviously, there’s no secret that when MS is there and he is the captain, he does get the best out of the players, and that has been a big part of CSK’s success.”
Captain Faf, Mike Hesson and Josh Hazlewood give us some insights into the team’s preparations and priorities heading into the big game against CSK, on @kreditbee presents Game Day.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #Mission2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBvCSK pic.twitter.com/3nxwFbGOjB
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 4, 2022
When you have the momentum keep it, that is crucial in T20 cricket: Faf Du Plessis
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have earned 10 points from as many matches. They are sixth on the points table and are in a tough race to qualify for the playoffs. Bangalore started off the season winning three of their first four matches. However, losses in their last three matches, have hampered their campaign.
Speaking about the last three matches, the skipper, Faf Du Plessis, said that the team was not at its best. He added, that in the last game against Gujarat Titans, they played good cricket, but were unable to keep the momentum. Plessis said,
“Out of the last three games, two games we were not at the best of our ability. And the last game I think we played some really good cricket, but we were up against a team that seized the small moments. Usually, such moments generally falls to the team in good form.”
“Real small margins in the previous game. That’s the crucial thing about T20 cricket when you have momentum, keep it. When you start losing, it is about how quickly can you get it back,” Du Plessis added.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, May 4 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
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