"AB de Villiers left, Faf du Plessis came" - Twitter reacts as RCB snap up South African star in IPL 2022 auction

Faf du Plessis was snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for ₹7 crore as their first buy of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 auction.

Du Plessis, despite being 37, finished as the second highest run-scorer in IPL 2021. He missed out on the Orange Cap by just a single run to his Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad. Hence, du Plessis was bound to be in demand in the IPL 2022 auction.

While RCB fans celebrated the purchase, there were plenty of CSK supporters who were left disappointed at failing to retain him at the auction. Some argued that ₹7 crore was too high a price for the veteran South African.

Here are the best reactions on social media:

IPL 2022 auction: Faf du Plessis was RCB's only buy from marquee set

Faf du Plessis was the only player from the marquee set that RCB purchased at the auction.

Speaking about acquiring him, RCB Director of Cricket Mike Hesson said:

"We're very happy, pretty much bang on budget. He's a proven IPL performer. Faf has done most of the work at the top of the order, we might not change that. Still plenty of work to do. We have a number of young players on our radar. I'm not going to give you too much. We have a few targets."

Shreyas Iyer, at ₹12.25 crore, was the most expensive buy from the set, going to the Kolkata Knight Riders. They also bagged Pat Cummins for ₹7.5 crore

Rajasthan Royals snapped up Ravichandran Ashwin and Trent Boult, successfully bolstering their bowling attack.

Punjab Kings, meanwhile, snapped up the former Delhi Capitals duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Kagiso Rabada.

Mohammed Shami became the Gujarat Titans' first signing in IPL auction history, while Lucknow Super Giants opened their account with wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock.