Faf du Plessis will serve as Axar Patel’s deputy at Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025.
Du Plessis, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) until the end of IPL 2024, was released ahead of the mega auction last year. He was subsequently acquired by DC for his base price of INR 2 crore (US$0.24 million) and was chosen over KL Rahul, another former IPL captain who also joined DC this season.
A former South Africa captain across all formats, Du Plessis began his IPL journey in 2012 when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signed him. He played for CSK until 2015, then spent two seasons with Rising Pune Supergiant/s while CSK was banned. He returned to CSK in 2018 and stayed until 2021 before RCB picked him up at the 2022 auction. With Virat Kohli stepping down as captain, Du Plessis was given the leadership role, guiding RCB for three seasons. Under his captaincy, RCB reached the playoffs in 2022 and 2024 but continues to chase their elusive first IPL title after 17 seasons.
Pick up your phones, it’s your vice-captain calling 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/W3AkYO4QKZ
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 17, 2025
Overall, the 40-year-old Faf du Plessis has amassed 4,571 runs in 145 IPL matches at an average of 35.99 and a strike rate of 136.37. He remains active in franchise cricket, having last played in the SA20 for Joburg Super Kings earlier this year. He could also attract interest in The Hundred, with Southern Brave—now owned by the GMR Group, which also owns DC—reportedly working on a deal to bring him on board.
DC, still in pursuit of their maiden IPL title, has undergone a major revamp to turn their fortunes around. This included the removal of Ricky Ponting from the coaching staff and the appointment of Hemang Badani as head coach, Matthew Mott as assistant coach, Kevin Pietersen as team mentor, and Munaf Patel, Venugopal Rao, and Vijay Bharadwaj in key roles. Axar Patel’s promotion to vice-captain is also part of this restructuring, following the departure of Rishabh Pant, who returned to the auction pool and was subsequently picked up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he has been named captain. KL Rahul, who previously led LSG, has now moved to DC.