Bangalore fans were eagerly awaiting the announcement of their new captain. Over the last few weeks, there were several speculations about the new leader of the 2016-finalists. Bangalore have finally announced Faf du Plessis as their captain for the 15th edition of the Indian T20 league.Â
During the mega auction, the franchise purchased him for INR 7 crore. Virat Kohli was leading the Bangalore-based franchise before he stepped down as captain after the completion of the 2021 edition. As for Faf, he was with Chennai.
As a matter of fact, he played an influential role in the Dhoni-led side’s title-winning campaign during the previous edition.Â
Faf he was “deeply grateful” for being announced as the new skipper for the Bangalore-based franchise. He also drew light on how he was trusted despite being an “outsider”
“Obviously, coming in as an outsider, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity. I have played a lot of Indian T20 league games and I understand the dynamics and it’s no small thing to trust an outsider, which is an overseas player, to trust and give the job of the leader. My style is not doing that is certainly not my way, I will rely heavily on domestic players and overseas players,” said Faf du Plessis during the franchise’s unbox event in Bengaluru.
In the meanwhile, the Proteas batter also spoke about Virat Kohli, and appreciated him for his achievements. He stated that the 33-year-old changed Indian cricket. Besides, he also spoke about how they have several top-class players like Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel.Â
“Virat Kohli, just not for Bangalore but also for the international game, he is one of the most respected leaders of the game. Huge respect for what he has done with the bat in his hand but also from a captaincy perspective. He has changed Indian cricket and I have seen that over time, playing against India. I could see that leadership footprint in the Indian team. A competitive, fit team that was fighting fire with fire.
We have also Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell and Harshal Patel. There are so many players with experience. The important part is having clarity. That’s where my responsibility comes in,” he added.
