DC could have used his leadership experience and appointed him their captain, but his age must have gone against him.
Delhi Capitals (DC) have announced Faf du Plessis as their vice-captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They made Axar Patel their captain for this fresh cycle, picking him over KL Rahul, who reportedly refused to lead the unit.
Faf brings vast leadership experience, having captained South Africa across formats and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL. Under his captaincy, RCB emerged as one of the most successful teams in the previous cycle, qualifying for playoffs twice in three seasons.
DC could have used his leadership experience and appointed him their captain, but his age must have gone against him. Faf, 40, is uncertain about enduring another IPL cycle and teams have long-term planning ahead of a fresh set after the mega auction.
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However, he will still be in the leadership group and now has a tag to come in as a deputy in Axar’s absence. Faf’s captaincy credentials are well-documented and he knows how to run an IPL franchise after captaining one of the biggest sides. Thus, the move to keep him as vice-captain is understandable.
Now that Faf du Plessis is the vice-captain, he looks certain to start in Delhi Capitals’ playing XI, which didn’t look initially. DC have Jake Fraser-McGurk as one of their openers who had a magnificent debut season in IPL 2024, providing brisk starts consistently by utilising the powerplay.
So, if DC play Faf and McGurk in the XI, they must shuffle KL Rahul’s batting position. This move to keep Faf as their vice-captain indicates DC might be looking to slot Rahul in the middle order.
There have been talks about how Rahul can revive his T20 career by shifting to the middle order and he might have asked the team management to allow him to play this new role. While he has previously batted outside the opening spots, Rahul’s recent IPL seasons with Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were as an opener.
Harry Brook’s unavailability might also be a reason for slotting Rahul in the middle order. DC can ask Faf to open with McGurk and let Rahul bat at No.4 or 5, which would have been Brook’s batting position.
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