IPL 2022 | Lucky to have played under MS Dhoni, says RCB captain Faf du Plessis

Royal Challengers Bangalore's newly-appointed captain Faf du Plessis has said that he is fortunate to have played under some influential leaders in the past for club and country. From their thought process, du Plessis wants to create his own style of captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, which is set to begin on March 26.

Speaking to the IPL, on Friday, Faf du Plessis said he had the golden opportunity to work under MS Dhoni and observe from close quarters how he successfully led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the years.

"I have played under some very good leaders. Graeme Smith was one, he had some strong qualities as a leader that really stood out,” du Plessis began.

"And then when I moved to Chennai, I was very lucky to have played MS Dhoni for a very long time. I got to see closely how his brain works, how things operate under him which was very fortunate for me.

"Also, Stephen Fleming. He had been a very good leader at the international level, now a well-established coach,” he added.

Du Plessis took over as captain of RCB and replaces Virat Kohli who had stepped down from the role at the end of IPL 2021. The South Africa batter had spent close to a decade with CSK before he was bought at the IPL 2022 auction by RCB for INR 7 crore.

There will be considerable pressure on du Plessis, who is taking over one of the most-followed IPL franchises in RCB. Kohli had been an influential captain but was not able to win the elusive title under his leadership.

Du Plessis further reiterated that his captaincy will be a collaborative approach and he will always seek the support of leaders in the group, including Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and new recruit Dinesh Karthik.

"Every captain has his strengths. The icing for me has been over my time, I have been able to look at these leaders and identify their strengths and also find my own way. I think it's really important that you are who you are and add those things that you have learnt from others to your style of captaincy,” he signed off.

RCB will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Punjab Kings on March 27, at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai.