PBKS vs RCB: Faf du Plessis scripts staggering IPL record with fiery 88 on captaincy debut | Cricket

One couldn’t have asked for a batter start to with a new franchise. He walked in with all the expectation on his shoulders having being named the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore a few weeks back, and then he looked to struggle at the start of his innings. But Faf du Plessis took a leaf out of MS Dhoni’s batting strategy – start patiently, finish strongly – and eventually ended with a fiery knock of 88 runs off 57 balls as he scripted a staggering IPL record on captaincy debut. 

In his first 30 balls, Faf managed only 17 runs, but soon after Anuj Rawat’s dismissal in the seventh over, he changed gears and fired 71 runs in his next 27 balls. His knock was laced with seven sixes and three sixes. 

With the knock, Faf scripted the record for most runs scored in a single innings in IPL by an overseas player on captaincy debut. He surpassed Kieron Pollard, who had scored 83 on his Mumbai Indians captaincy debut in IPL 2019. 

IPL 2022, PBKS vs RCB Live Cricket Score

Overall, he stands fourth on the list after Sanju Samson’s 119 for Rajasthan Royals, Mayank Agarwal’s 99 for Punjab Kings and 93 by Shreyas Iyer for Delhi Capitals.

En route to the knock, Faf also amassed 3000 runs in his IPL career and became the third fastest batter to the feat alongside David Warner, both of whom reached the milestone in their 94th innings. Chris Gayle remains the fastest to the feat having reached the mark in his 75th innings while KL Rahul stands second (80). 

En route to Faf’s 88, he also combined with former RCB captain Virat Kohli in stitching a phenomenal 118-run stand before Dinesh Karthik added the perfect finishing touch with his 14-ball 32 laced with three sixes and as many fours as RCB finished with a colossal 205 for two in 20 overs.