'Respect for this warrior' - Netizens laud Faf du Plessis for his impressive knock against Punjab Kings

Faf du Plessis scored 84 runs off 56 balls, maintaining a decent strike rate of 150 which included five sixes and as many fours.

Published - 20 Apr 2023, 17:39 IST | Updated - 20 Apr 2023, 17:38 IST

12 Min Read

Courtesy of a scintillating batting performance by Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) attained 174 runs in their first innings against hosts Punjab Kings (PBKS) in match 27 of the IPL 2023. The two franchises have locked horns in the first double-header at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, April 20.

Sam Curran, stand-in captain of the Kings, won the toss and decided to field first. For the unversed, Virat Kohli shouldered the responsibility of leading the side as regular skipper Faf du Plessis picked a rib injury in the previous outing against CSK.

RCB’s opening duo of Kohli and Faf swiftly hit the ground running, as they took the powerplay (1-6 overs) to their advantage to get the big runs. The pair added 59 runs in the powerplay and remained in complete control of the innings.

Despite nursing an injured rib, Orange Cap holder, Faf cracked 50 off 31 balls with three sixes and four boundaries to his name. Faf smacked left-arm fingerspinner Harpreet Brar for 15 runs off the last four balls of his second over which included two maximums.

Meanwhile, Kohli got the boundaries in regular intervals despite slowing down post-powerplay and notched up his half-century off 40 balls. RCB were 91 without any man down in ten overs and were cruising towards a humongous first innings total.

However, Harpreet Brar struck consecutive blows as he got the scalps of Kohli and Maxwell to help PBKS get back into the contest. Faf too was sent packing in the very next over by Nathan Ellis, after he holed out to long off while attempting to go inside out.

Despite playing on a rather slow deck with the ball not coming on to the bat that well, Faf put on a classic show as he scored 84 runs off 56 balls, maintaining a decent strike rate of 150 which included five sixes and as many fours.

PBKS will aim to get a solid head start to clinch the two points in the chase at their home ground. Pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak comes in as an Impact Player for RCB in place of Faf.

Here is how Twitter buzzed during the first innings between PBKS vs RCB-

Pari

@BluntIndianGal

Despite being injured in two back to back matches, he scored 62(33) and 84(56). Faf du Plessis does his job yet again for RCB. Loads of respect for this warrior ❤️

04:55 PM · Apr 20, 2023

623

Dhawal Kulkarni

@dhawal_kulkarni

Challenging total posted by #RCB Important to start the powerplay well for #PBKS #PBKSvRCB #TATAIPL

05:17 PM · Apr 20, 2023

𝗔𝘆𝘂𝘀𝗵 🇮🇳@RofiedAyush

Total fifties in IPL history to be scored in 40+ balls - 64 Virat fifties scored in 40+ balls - 32 The king of statpadding Virat Kohli #RCBvsPBKS

05:13 PM · Apr 20, 2023

119

Mayur@133_AT_Hobart

King Kohli captaining RCB for the first time in 556 days. (📷 Star). #ViratKohli𓃵 #IPL2023 #RCBvsPBKS

03:24 PM · Apr 20, 2023

302

👑Che_ಕೃಷ್ಣ🇮🇳💛❤️@ChekrishnaCk

Lomror Just played a RANJI match for RCB #RCBvsPBKS #PBKSvRCB

05:08 PM · Apr 20, 2023

👑Che_ಕೃಷ್ಣ🇮🇳💛❤️@ChekrishnaCk

Lomror can't match this guy #RCBvsPBKS #RCBvPBKS #PBKSvRCB

05:04 PM · Apr 20, 2023

111

Vipin Tiwari@vipintiwari952

RCB has begun this power play off really well, which is a crucial moment in the game. In this IPL, Siraj is at a higher level. #RCBvsPBKS #PBKSvRCB

05:31 PM · Apr 20, 2023

Sharath@Sharathk27

Personal records matter than any Franchise #RCBvsPBKS #ViratKohli𓃵 🙏🙏

05:30 PM · Apr 20, 2023

Cricscore11@CricScore15

"Dynamic Duo : The Virat - Faf Partnership" #RCBvsPBKS

05:30 PM · Apr 20, 2023

Virat👑Rocky✨️@Virat_Rocky18

#FafDuPlessis Appreciation Tweet❤️ Well Played 84 Runs Even With His Hip injury. Dedication 👏🏾🔥 Even Faf du Plessis was never this good in CSK, RCB changed him completely.🔥 #PBKSvRCB #RCBvsPBKS