New Delhi: Delhi Capitals (DC) snubbed Team India star KL Rahul to appoint veteran South Africa batter Faf du Plessis as their vice-captain ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Du Plessis will serve as the deputy to India all-rounder Axar Patel, who was recently confirmed as the DC captain for IPL 2025.
Delhi Capitals revamped their entire coaching staff and their squad after letting go of star India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant. Pant was leading the Capitals and was considered one of the vital cogs in the squad but the wicket-keeper batter was surprisingly released by the franchise after some differences between the two parties.
Axar will be taking over the reins from Pant, who became the most expensive player in the history of IPL after being bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a whopping Rs 27 crore. Pant will be leading LSG in IPL 2025. Meanwhile, DC have put their faith in the experienced Du Plessis, who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for three seasons from IPL 2022 to 2024.
Du Plessis helped RCB qualify for the playoffs for two seasons out of three as captain and also did well as a batter, delivering impactful knocks consistently at the top. However, Du Plessis was released by RCB ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The 40-year-old was picked up by DC at his base price of Rs 2 crore in the accelerated round on the last day of the mega auction.
Will Faf du Plessis open for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025?
Du Plessis enjoyed immense success as an opener for RCB during his three-year stint with the franchise. The veteran South Africa batter formed a prolific opening pair with Virat Kohli and the duo played a key role in helping RCB qualify for the playoffs twice in the last three seasons. Du Plessis notched up an impressive 1636 runs in 45 matches for RCB, including 15 centuries and was a consistent performer for the side.
It remains to be seen if he will be utilised as an opener by Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2025. Though DC already have the likes of Jake Fraser McGurk and KL Rahul, It won’t be a surprise if Du Plessis is asked to open and Rahul is shifted to a middle-order role in the new season.
KL Rahul was snubbed as Delhi Capitals appointed Faf Du Plessis as the deputy to skipper Axar Patel ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
