(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) With IPL 2024 just around the corner, fans are eagerly preparing for the season's inaugural match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai this Friday. As defending champions, CSK holds a significant advantage, particularly since the match will be played on their home turf, making them clear favorites for the opener.
Fans anticipate Faf du Plessis' return to Chennai as RCB skipper. Prior to leading RCB, the South African played a crucial role for CSK under MS Dhoni's leadership since 2012. Despite being released by CSK ahead of the 2022 mega auction, du Plessis was recruited by RCB, who later appointed him as skipper following Virat Kohli's resignation from the role.
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Hailing Dhoni's impact on his career, Du Plessis called him the 'greatest ever captain'. Speaking to Star Sports, he said, "He (Dhoni) is the greatest ever captain, and I am very lucky that I have spent some time with him over the years. I think that's probably the biggest thing in my career, shaped me from a leadership perspective, were my years at Chennai, just observing MS and Stephen Fleming. As a young leader, it was special to my growth."
"As a leader that I am today. So I'm very grateful for MS and everything about his leadership because it really shaped me. When I see him, it's like a big brother that you see, you want to beat him but you don't really want to beat him because there's so much respect for that," the South African added.
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"But obviously when you get on the field, it's such a great match, the RCB-Chennai match, it goes back so much with the two icons, or two of the three icons of Indian cricket. I think the reason why Chennai is so loved and followed is MS Dhoni and the reason why RCB is so loved and passionate is because of Virat Kohli so it's special for me to have had time with both of them so I'm very lucky," he added.
Du Plessis played a pivotal role in CSK's title triumph in 2021, amassing 633 runs throughout the season. He aims to replicate his stellar performance for RCB in the upcoming season.
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