"I'm surprised that the captaincy change happened midseason" - Faf du Plessis on MS Dhoni being reappointed CSK captain 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis expressed his surprise over his former franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s decision to switch captains midway through the season. Ravindra Jadeja stepped down from the role to focus on his own game, leading to former captain MS Dhoni being reappointed in the role.

CSK could only win two of their first eight games under Jadeja. That also included the IPL team's worst start in IPL history, losing their first four games on the trot.

Noting that he was surprised with Jadeja's as well as Dhoni's appointment in the space of a month, Faf du Plessis said on RCB Match Day:

"I'm surprised that the captaincy change happened midseason, but I was also surprised at the way it happened the way before the season. So, it is like two surprises canceling each other out. Obviously, there's no secret that when MS is there and he is the captain, he does get the best out of the players, and that has been a big part of CSK's success."

Faf du Plessis will be up against his former franchise for the second time. Earlier in the season, RCB succumbed to Shivam Dube and Robin Uthappa's exploits at the DY Patil Stadium.

View the IPL 2022 timetable here.

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"Real small margins in the previous game" - Faf du Plessis on RCB's ongoing losing streak

Three-time finalists RCB were well poised in the IPL point table with ten points after seven games. However, three consecutive defeats have left them placed precariously in fourth spot in the standings.

Apart from the losses, the manner of defeats have been a cause of concern as well. RCB were bundled out for 68 and 115 against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) respectively, before putting up a better fight against Gujarat Titans (GT).

Opining that the key moments were seized by GT in their previous game, Faf du Plessis said:

"Out of the last three games, two games we were not at the best of our ability, and the last game I think we played some really good cricket, but we were up against a team that seized the small moments. Usually, such moments generally falls to the team in good form."

The RCB captain concluded:

"Real small margins in the previous game. That's the crucial thing about T20 cricket when you have momentum, keep it and when you start losing, it is about how quickly can you get it back,"

RCB will next take on CSK at the MCA Stadium in Pune later on Wednesday in a crucial game.