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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis is having a prolific season and is the current holder of the Orange Cap for his efforts. He has scored 576 runs at a strike rate of 157 in 11 innings and has a slender one-run lead as the top run scorer of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
RCB, however, are on the cusp of missing out on playoffs action for the first time since 2019 as they gear up for a do-or-die clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) away from home. RCB currently have 10 points from 11 matches and are placed on the seventh rank with a net run rate of -0.345.
Du Plessis has scored 434 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 132.72 and an average of 31 against RR. While the inaugural champions are far from the veteran batter's most favored opponents, he has had memorable outings against the Royals over the years.
On that note, here are Faf du Plessis' three best knocks in the IPL against RR.
#1 72 (37) (Sharjah Cricket Stadium; IPL 2020)
The Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) first match of the 2020 edition turned out to be a high-scoring affair at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Ground. RR had posted a mammoth target of 217 after fifties from Sanju Samson and Steve Smith.
CSK were in trouble after both their openers fell in quick succession to leg spinners, which brought Faf Du Plessis in at No. 3. The South African took on the RR bowlers to score a brilliant 72 runs off 37 deliveries, making use of the short boundaries by hitting seven sixes, before being dismissed by Jofra Archer.
His extraordinary knock, however, vent in vain as RR emerged victorious by 17 runs in the end.
#2 62 (39) (M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore; IPL 2023)
One of Faf du Plessis' best outings against RR came during the reverse fixture in IPL 2023. RCB were in peril after Virat Kohli was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Trent Boult and were soon reduced to 12-2.
The RCB skipper forged a crucial partnership with Glenn Maxwell for the third wicket. He scored 62 runs off 39 deliveries, a knock comprised eight fours and two sixes. The right-handed batter's stint at the crease came to an unfortunate end, courtesy of a brilliant run out by Yashasvi Jaiswal.
His innings gave RCB the platform from which they could post 182-6 and ended up as winners by seven runs after a tense finish.
#3 73 (52) (MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai; IPL 2012)
One of Faf du Plessis' best knocks in his maiden IPL campaign came against the Rajasthan Royals.
Electing to bat first, the Rahul Dravid-led side posted 146 on the board, following Owais Shah's fifty.
Opening the innings alongside Subramaniam Badrinath, the Proteas ace anchored the run chase and scored a vital 73 runs off 52 deliveries, which included six fours and two sixes.
His knock came in a winning cause as CSK etched a last ball-win in the low-scoring thriller, with MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo finishing off the run chase.
Who will win the upcoming contest between RCB and RR in IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.
