Faf du Plessis Birthday: Former CSK opener and RCB captain turns 39, take a look at his best IPL knocks

The Proteas batter was an integral part of the CSK contingent from 2012 to 2021 and is now captaining the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

Faf du Plessis Birthday: Former CSK opener and RCB captain turns 39, take a look at his best IPL knocks

Faf du Plessis (Image via Indiatimes)

Former CSK opener and current RCB skipper, Faf Du Plessis turned 39 on 13th July 2023. The Proteas batter was an integral part of the CSK contingent from 2012 to 2021 and is now captaining the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

Faf has been one of the best openers in the IPL. It is interesting to note that his last 5 IPL seasons have been his best in the tournament. In the supposed twilight of his career, Faf Du Plessis scored a whopping 730 runs in the 2023 IPL season. He has played some crucial knocks in the IPL that have led his team to victory.

YouTube video

The 39-year-old has scored 4,133 runs in his 130 IPL matches at an average of 39.6 and a strike rate of 134.14. His overall numbers may not do justice to the explosive form that he has been in, in the last 3 IPL seasons. Faf made his IPL debut in 2012 for the Chennai Super Kings.

Also read: THIS French teenager breaks Virat Kohli’s and Babar Azam’s MASSIVE T20I record after making his debut in 2022

Relive Top 5 IPL knocks of Faf Du Plessis on his birthday

Faf Du Plessis has made crucial contributions to his teams over the years. Take a look at 5 of his best innings in the IPL so far.

1. 96 off 55 against Kings XI Punjab in 2019

faf du plessis suresh raina
Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis (Image via Dailymotion)

In a match where all CSK batters failed, Faf Du Plessis rose to the occasion and put on a show with a blistering knock of 96 in 55 deliveries against the Kings XI Punjab. He smashed 10 boundaries and four sixes to register his highest score in the IPL. He fell short by four runs for his maiden IPL century after he was bowled out by Sam Curran. Suresh Raina was the only other CSK batter to have scored a fifty in that match.

2. 88 off 57 against Punjab Kings in 2022

Faf Du Plessis against PK
Source: News9Live

Faf Du Plessis smoked seven sixes on his captaincy debut for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored 88 runs off 57 deliveries to mark his arrival in IPL 2022 as the RCB skipper. Though RCB lost the match by 5 wickets, Faf’s batting kept the fans on the edge of their seats.

3. 67* off 42 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018

faf du plessis csk
Faf du Plessis celebrates with Shardul Thakur (Image via ESPN)

In what seemed like a hopeless situation, Faf Du Plessis rose to the occasion to take CSK home with a patient unbeaten 67 off 42 deliveries. In an intense Qualifier 1 match against SRH, Faf turned out to be CSK’s hero and helped take his team to the Final of the 2018 IPL season. CSK went on to beat SRH in the final to win their 3rd IPL trophy.

4. 71 off 46 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2012

With five boundaries and four sixes, Faf Du Plessis registered an impressive 71 off 46 deliveries in his debut IPL season. While his opening partner Murali Vijay failed to perform, Faf took the opportunity and played a vital knock.

5. 73 off 52 against Rajasthan Royals in 2012

The 2012 season saw another extraordinary knock from the Proteas batter as he smashed 73 off 52 deliveries against Rajasthan Royals including six boundaries and two sixes. CSK went on to win with the match by seven wickets.

In case you missed!