Andy and I have a huge amount of respect for him - Mo Bobat on Faf du Plessis
One among the key players released and not re-signed at the IPL Mega Auction by RCB was Faf du Plessis, who was roped in by the franchise ahead of the 2022 season and captained the franchise for three seasons.
Not just did RCB qualify for the playoffs in two of the three seasons, Faf led from the front with the bat, scoring 430+ runs each edition, apart from also winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2023.
In a video released by RCB, Director of Cricket Mo Bobat expressed special regards to Faf, who the former believes formed a fabulous partnership with him and head coach Andy Flower.
Bobat also showered praise on Faf for not just committing to the playing side of things but also to all the work off the field, all facets that helped power RCB to the IPL 2024 playoffs.
He said, “I miss all the players that we've said goodbye to. I need to make a special mention to Faf. I texted him immediately as he went, and I just said sorry. Because he's someone that we spend a lot of time with as a leadership group. Andy and I have a huge amount of respect for him, we're really fond of him.”
Bobat continued, “The three of us were the leadership group alongside some of those other senior players last year, and that was a really emotional season for us, and without Faf we wouldn't have been able to turn it around. But not only did Faf commit to the season, he committed to everything before and after it, whether it was reviews and follow-ups, auction prep, retentions, Faf was so all in. So I couldn't be more grateful and appreciative of him, and I wish him all the best.”
He concluded with a special thanks, saying, “I'll probably give him a ring in the next few days when he's not so annoyed with me maybe, and I'll have a chat with him, but I wish him all the best. Really sad to see him go, but RCB owes a huge thing.”
