Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Faf du Plessis (L) greets teammate Virat Kohli during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru Former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis (left) and his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) came to the end of their phenomenal run in this year’s Indian Premier League on Wednesday. Picture: Idrees Mohammed/AFP
Former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis and his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) came to the end of their phenomenal run in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), in their eliminator against Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
RCB could only manage 172/8 in their innings, as none of their batsmen were able to put in an innings of significance with the top score being just the 34 Rajat Patidar made. With Virat Kohli (33) and Mahipal Lomror (32) the only other batsmen to manage scores in the 30s, it was always going to be a tough day out for the side chasing their elusive first IPL title.
In response, Royals soared to victory by four wickets with six balls to spare.
It was an anti-climatic end for Du Plessis who captained RCB in all 15 games they played in this year’s edition of the tournament, after they won six games in a row to make the play-offs.
Unfortunately, sport is not a fairytale and our remarkable run in #IPL2024 came to an end. Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik express their emotions and thank fans for their unwavering support. ❤️#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/FYygVD3UiC
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 23, 2024
“We’re obviously disappointed,” said Du Plessis after the game in which he made 17 before he was dismissed.
“The last six games have been incredibly special the way we turned it around. When you do something that special, your hopes are up to do something even more special.”
With a highest score of 64 coming against Gujurat Titans on May 4, Du Plessis also managed three other scores of over 50. In total, Du Plessis scored 438 runs at an average of 29 and an impressive strike-rate of 161.
For the majority of the IPL though, Du Plessis played second fiddle to opening partner Kohli and former RCB captain. Kohli smashed five 50s, and managed one century with his top score of 113 unbeaten which added up to 741 runs scored at an incredible average of 61.
Having taken over the captaincy reigns from Kohli in 2022, the pair have formed a formidable duo at the top of the order but it was not enough to make the final in this year’s edition.
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