'We are both very relaxed guys', Faf du Plessis finds similarity in MS Dhoni and his captaincy style

Bengaluru, Mar 13: Faf Du Plessis is set to lead an IPL franchise for the first time after the former South Africa cricketer was appointed the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ahead of IPL 2022.

Du Plessis - who has to date played in the domestic T20 tournament under MS Dhoni's leadership - believes his leadership style is pretty much similar to that of Chennai Super Kings captain.

The 37-year-old Du Plessis had been an integral part of the CSK under Dhoni since making his IPL debut in 2012. The Protea has also played for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant.

IPL 2022: Royal Challengers Bangalore appoint Faf du Plessis as captain ahead of IPL 15

"I'm very lucky that I've been around some fantastic leaders in my journey in cricket. I grew in with Graeme Smith, who is South Africa's best leader ever," the former South African skipper was quoted as saying on the RCB website.

"And then the 10 years with MS and Stephen Fleming, two fantastic leaders. I do think that there's a similarity in MS style and my style in terms that we both are very relaxed characters," Du Plessis said.

The South African also said that he found Dhoni to be the complete "opposite" to what it was like captaining in South Africa. "The crazy thing for me really is when I started with Chennai, I had this idea of what captaincy and leadership look like.

"And MS was completely opposite to what I thought it would look like because of my culture in South Africa," Du Plessis said. "And I came into this environment like, this guy's completely different than I thought it should be."

Bought for a whopping Rs 7 crore by RCB after an aggressive bidding war between his former franchise CSK and Delhi Capitals, Du Plessis will have his task cut out to end the trophy drought for the three-time runners-up side.

Du Plessis said he understands the pressure that comes with leading an IPL side and he would look to follow his own style. "What it taught me was that there were different styles, but it was important that you need to be your own style," he said about Dhoni's influence on him.

"Because that's the thing that always comes through when the pressure is on. So, I can't try to be Virat Kohli because I'm not Virat Kohli. I can't try to be MS Dhoni," he said. "But there are things I've learned that helped me grow my leadership style and mature. So, I'm grateful for that journey," said the new RCB skipper.

"MS (Dhoni) is a fantastic leader and has probably had the most success in terms of silverware than any other captain in the world. It's been a privilege to be a part of that journey," he concluded. RCB will open their campaign against Punjab Kings in Mumbai on March 27.

(With PTI inputs)