"He wants the Orange Cap" - Aakash Chopra lauds Faf du Plessis' knock in RCB's IPL 2023 win vs RR

Aakash Chopra has lauded Faf du Plessis for continuing his consistent run with the bat in the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) IPL 2023 win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Du Plessis scored 55 runs off 44 balls as RCB set a 172-run target for RR in Jaipur on Sunday, May 14. Their bowlers then bowled out the home team for a paltry 59 to complete an emphatic 112-run win and give themselves a massive boost to their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

While reflecting on RCB's innings in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that Du Plessis' consistency will hold him in good stead in his quest for the Orange Cap, saying:

"Faf du Plessis was playing with Virat Kohli. When Kohli got out, Glenn Maxwell was with Faf. Faf - one more time - he is consistent and how. He scores runs every time. However he does, he wants the Orange Cap and no one can take it away from him."

Du Plessis has now amassed 631 runs in 12 innings at an excellent average of 57.36 and an equally impressive strike rate of 154.27 in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. The RCB skipper is 56 runs ahead of second-placed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Orange Cap race.

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"If that knock had not come, that many runs wouldn't have been scored" - Aakash Chopra picks Glenn Maxwell as his MVP for the RCB-RR clash

Glenn Maxwell smashed 54 runs off just 33 balls. [P/C: iplt20.com]

However, Aakash Chopra picked Glenn Maxwell as the most valuable player (MVP) of the game, reasoning:

"I feel Glenn Maxwell was the most valuable player. If that knock had not come, that many runs wouldn't have been scored, and if that many runs hadn't been scored, you wouldn't have won the match."

The former Indian opener pointed out that the Rajasthan Royals might not have capitulated if they hadn't been chasing a challenging total, observing:

"We, of course, saw Rajasthan absolutely capitulating. We saw them playing ordinary shots and losing five wickets in the powerplay. All that was possible when you became capable of posting an above-par score."

While also praising Anuj Rawat (29* off 11) for his crucial cameo, Chopra reiterated that Maxwell's knock was the game-defining performance, stating:

"If Maxwell had not played like that, this team wouldn't have reached there. Of course, Anuj Rawat also scored important runs but in my opinion, the most valuable player of the game was Glenn Maxwell. When he scores runs, he scores very fast."

Maxwell struck five fours and three sixes during his 54-run knock. He strung together a 69-run second-wicket partnership with Du Plessis after Virat Kohli was dismissed for a 19-ball 18.