Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Faf du Plessis plays a shot during a match against Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League 2023, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai on May 9, 2023. | Photo Credit: ANI
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis completed 1000 runs for RCB in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on May 9, 2023.
Du Plessis reached this milestone by playing a brilliant knock of 65 off 41 balls (five fours and three sixes) in the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.
Du Plessis joined RCB in 2022 as a captain, he played 27 IPL matches and scored 1044 runs at an average of 41.76 and a strike rate of 142.62. He scored nine half-centuries for the side, with a best score of 96.
In the current IPL season, the RCB skipper currently holds the ‘Orange cap’ with 576 runs in 11 matches. He is scoring runs at an average of 57.60 and a strike rate of 157.81. He has scored six fifties so far.
The South African batter played his debut match with Chennai Super Kings in 2012. For CSK, he scored 2721 runs in 92 games at an average of 35.34. He scored 20 half-centuries for the Yellow Army. Faf was also part of the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, playing eight matches and scoring 214 runs at an average of over 30 with two fifties.
Du Plessis scored 3,979 runs in his IPL career in 127 matches at an average of 36.50 and a strike rate of 133.93. He scored 31 half-centuries, with a best score of 96.
Put to bat first by MI, RCB put on 199/6 in their 20 overs. After MI took the early wickets of Virat Kohli (1) and Anuj Rawat (6), RCB got back into the game with a 120-run stand for the third wicket between skipper Faf du Plessis (65 off 41 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Glenn Maxwell (68 off 33 balls, with eight fours and four sixes).
Late cameos from Dinesh Karthik (30 off 18 balls, four boundaries and a six) and Kedar Jadhav (12* off 10 balls) got RCB to a competitive total.
Jason Behrendorff (3/36) was the pick of the bowlers for MI. Cameron Green, Chris Jordan and Kumar Kartikeya took one wicket apiece.
Chasing 200, Ishan Kishan’s power-hitting got MI off to a good start but the hosts were reduced to 52/2 in five overs after Kishan (42 off 21 balls, four fours and four sixes) and skipper Rohit Sharma (7) was dismissed by Wanindu Hasanranga.
However, once Suryakumar Yadav and Nehal Wadhera settled in, there was no looking back for MI. The duo put on 140 runs for the third wicket. Suryakumar scored 83 in just 35 balls, which consisted of seven fours and six sixes. Wadhera scored 52* off 34 balls with four boundaries and three sixes, hitting the winning run for MI.
MI chased down a total of 21 balls and six wickets in hand.
Suryakumar Yadav took home the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his explosive knock. With this win, MI reached third place, with six wins and five losses. They have a total of 12 points. RCB slipped to the seventh position, winning five matches and losing six. They have a total of ten points.
