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Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) thought process was clear when they were building their squad for the 2022-24 auction cycle in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They were investing in tried and tested players.
Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell were retained at the age of 33 years. They bought Dinesh Karthik, aged 36 then, as their prime wicketkeeper. Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel, both 31 years old then, were picked as the frontline overseas and Indian seamers respectively. RCB signed four backup 30-plus players — David Willey (31 years), Jason Behrendorff (31 years), Siddarth Kaul (31 years) and Karn Sharma (34 years).
The idea was simple: to win their first trophy in this auction cycle at the back of experienced players. They made it to the playoffs twice and finished sixth once.
The center figure of this strategy was Faf du Plessis, the oldest player RCB signed then (37 years), citing his successful and prolonged stint at Chennai Super Kings. In the 2020 and 2021 seasons combined, he had scored 1082 runs for CSK, averaging 43.3 at a strike rate of around 140.
RCB needed an opener as well as a captain, making du Plessis a suitable choice. They shelled INR 7 crore on him in the mega-auction, sneaking him from CSK who also wanted to continue their relationship with the former South Africa skipper.
Du Plessis justified every penny of his paycheque. Even though RCB didn’t achieve their maiden trophy, the Pretoria-born was one of their best batters in this auction cycle. His tally of 1636 runs is the second-best, with his average of 38.1 being the third-best. He batted at a decent strike rate of 147, while playing some vital knocks for the franchise. And you cannot count out his astounding efforts in the field.
He continued his form in the second season of the Major Cricket League. He was the top scorer for the Texas Super Kings, scoring 420 runs (average 52.5, strike rate 171.4) including one hundred.
Moreover, du Plessis gave in to the team dynamics, constantly improving his strike rate, batting at 127.5 for RCB in 2022 to 161.6 in 2024. He scored 15 half-centuries in 45 innings, translating to a 50-plus score in every third innings. He thus married consistency with a higher scoring rate. Meanwhile, the right-hander also became a more reliable batter against spin.
Retaining him ahead of the auction would unburden RCB from looking for a top-tier opening batter to lead the side. Had he been younger, retaining him could well have been a no-brainer call, keeping the retention rules in mind.
However, du Plessis is 40 now. Although still one of the most athletic cricketers around, we have seen him holding his hamstring as well as his back on multiple occasions. In 2023, he played three matches as an Impact Player owing to niggles, with Kohli leading the side. On the age value only, he becomes a depreciating asset.
That is where CSK come in. They had du Plessis for 11 seasons and the symphony between the two parties can be assessed by the fact that du Plessis has been leading CSK’s two sister franchises — Johannesburg Super Kings in SA20 and Texas Super Kings in MLC.
Du Plessis' return to the auction raises the question for CSK about whether they want to re-acquire him. And like RCB, the answer isn’t straightforward for the Men in Yellow. Their call over retaining MS Dhoni depends purely on the auction regulation yet to be announced by the BCCI.
CSK’s top-order is also a little stacked. Devon Conway didn’t feature in IPL 2024 but did well in 2022 and 2023, scoring 924 runs with nine fifties (average 48.6 and strike rate 141.3). If Dhoni retires, CSK would need a wicketkeeper, an issue that will be automatically resolved by Conway’s presence. With Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad (almost certain to be retained) locking the opening positions in this scenario, du Plessis’ value would go down in the squad.
If Dhoni stays, CSK may consider replacing Conway in the squad with du Plessis. But that means playing at least a three-year-long punt with Dhoni and du Plessis — two of the most aging players in the competition.
Unlike Dhoni, du Plessis plays cricket all round the year. Including the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), he is a frontline player in four leagues around the world which has enabled him to maintain his rhythm and keep him relevant as a specialist batter in IPL. He understands the CSK ecosystem more than any player likely to be a part of the auction. But the Chennai side would have to create room for him in the XI rather than already having a vacant spot.
Thus, CSK have an emotional value attached to du Plessis but face a tactical downside in re-signing him. For RCB, there is both a tactical upside and downside to du Plessis.
Eventually, it could well come down to the veteran’s price in the auction. There are a few other teams who would be hunting for a prominent opener in the mega-auction, namely Lucknow, Punjab, Mumbai, Gujarat and arguably Delhi. There is a good chance that Punjab and Lucknow would be looking for a captain too, which makes du Plessis a more fruitful player for them. Yet, given the mega-auction dynamics, his age could be an issue in making a long-term investment in him.
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