Faf du Plessis' 3 best knocks in the IPL against KKR

Faf du Plessis is enjoying a dream season with the bat in IPL 2023 and will look to continue in the same vein when the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, April 26.

The RCB skipper hasn't let a rib injury come in the way of his form, scoring one half-century after another. He currently tops the run-scoring charts in IPL 2023 with 405 runs at an average of 67.50 and a strike rate of 165.31.

Having scored five half-centuries already, he will look to extend his run-scoring spree on Wednesday, although it remains to be seen if he is fit to field again. Virat Kohli assumed captaincy duties for RCB in the last couple of games, with du Plessis' injury forcing him to be used as a batter alone and then be swapped out via the impact player substitution.

It is worth noting that he hasn't really set the stage alight in the IPL against KKR in the years gone by. That said, he has played some superb innings against the two-time champions, albeit for his former team Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Let's take a look at his three best knocks against KKR in the IPL:

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#3 43 off 30 in Abu Dhabi, IPL 2021

Du Plessis was in scintillating touch throughout IPL 2021, having formed a formidable opening partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad for CSK. In the reverse fixture against the Men in Yellow at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, KKR posted 171/6 on the back of Rahul Tripathi's 45 and cameos from Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik.

In response, the Super Kings got off to a flyer with Gaikwad and du Plessis forging a 74-run opening partnership. The latter was at his fluent best, striking the ball all around the park for fun en route to a 30-ball 43.

Although his dismissal forced a slowdown, Ravindra Jadeja's cameo ensured that despite KKR stretching the game until the last delivery, CSK got home.

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#2 95 off 60 in Mumbai, IPL 2021

The earlier fixture that year between CSK and KKR saw the Super Kings inserted to bat first on a belter of a surface at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Gaikwad and du Plessis were at it again as they maximized the powerplay and pocketed 54 runs off it.

Their 115-run opening stand came to an end in the 13th over with Varun Chakravarthy sending Gaikwad back. Du Plessis slowed down in the middle overs after a quickfire start, but picked up pace towards the back end and accelerated against pace.

He had the opportunity to notch up his maiden IPL century but fell just five runs short. Having remained unbeaten on 95, he walked away with the Player of the Match honors as the Super Kings prevailed by 18 runs.

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#1 86 off 59 in Dubai, IPL 2021 Final

The current RCB skipper simply loved facing the KKR attack in 2021. He saved his best for the most fitting occasion - the final of the tournament at the Dubai International Stadium, in what was his 100th appearance in the IPL.

CSK were asked to bat first and they needed to post a total that was big enough to nullify the effect of dew later on. Another solid 61-run opening partnership set them on their way as the South African veteran held the innings together. With Sunil Narine keeping things tight, du Plessis took it upon himself to accelerate around the halfway mark, taking a liking to Lockie Ferguson in particular.

He batted through the innings with Robin Uthappa and Moeen Ali chipping in with instrumental cameos of their own. Du Plessis was dismissed off the last ball of the innings for an outstanding 59-ball 86 that saw CSK end with 192. KKR fell 27 short as the Super Kings lifted the trophy for the fourth time.

Incidentally, it would turn out to be his last appearance in the yellow of CSK, before RCB won the race to sign him up at the player auction the following year.

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Will Faf du Plessis continue his rich vein of form when RCB play KKR on Wednesday? Have your say in the comments section below!

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