Faf du Plessis

Francois “Faf’ du Plessis was born on July 13, 1984, in Pretoria, South Africa. He is a right-handed batter and a right-arm leg-break bowler. He plays as a middle-order batter and is known for his unique batting stance. 

Du Plessis has retired from Test cricket and has been away from limited-over formats for some time. He enjoys playing franchise cricket and is one of the T20 legends who represents franchises across different leagues.

Faf du Plessis: Along the Years

Faf du Plessis Records

The Proteas player holds various international records such as:

• The second batter to have scored a century as a captain in all three formats of the game. 

• The first South African to score centuries in the three formats of the game.

• The second-highest individual score by a South African cricketer with 185 runs.

• The most innings before scoring a duck in international cricket (108).

• Scored the first century in a Day/Night Test match.

• The first captain to declare innings at the lowest-ever total of 259/9.

Faf du Plessis Awards and Accolades

Faf du Plessis was named the South Africa Player of the Year in 2019 in the Men's category. He was also named as the Annual Player of the Year for South Africa in 2011.

Also, see - Moeen Ali's biography

Faf du Plessis Career

Faf du Plessis has been a consistent performer for the South African cricket team over the years and has had a decorated career with multiple records as a captain and as a batter.

Faf du Plessis Domestic Career

In domestic cricket, Faf du Plessis plays for the Northerns and has scored 8385 runs in 142 First Class Matches. He has scored 17 centuries and 52 half-centuries in first-class cricket and 21 centuries in List-A cricket.

Faf du Plessis IPL Career

Faf du Plessis started his IPL career in 2011 for Chennai Super Kings but made his IPL debut in 2012 and scored 398 runs in that season. He was used as an overseas backup and was in and out of the team. In 2016, owing to CSK’s two-year suspension, the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant bought him for INR 4.75 crores. After CSK were reintroduced in 2018, du Plessis was bought back by the franchise, and the South African was pivotal in CSK’s fairytale comeback season. 

In IPL 2021, du Plessis forged a great partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad and won a fourth IPL title for the Super Kings. He was the second-highest run-scorer in that tournament, only two runs behind his opening partner. However, the IPL 2022 mega auction saw the former South African skipper wear the red and black of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, as they bagged him for INR 7 crores and appointed him as the skipper of the franchise. 

Du Plessis had a decent season with the bat, scoring 468 runs in 16 matches. He had his best season with the bat in the IPL 2023, scoring 730 runs with a strike rate of 153.68.  

Faf du Plessis International Career

Faf du Plessis has been a consistent performer with the bat for the Proteas. He has scored a century in all formats of the game.

Faf du Plessis ODI Career

Faf du Plessis made his One Day International debut at Cape Town against India on January 18, 2011, and scored 60 runs. In 143 matches, he has scored 5507 runs at an average of above 47 and has 12 centuries and 35 half-centuries to his name.

Faf du Plessis Test Career

Faf du Plessis made his Test debut on November 22, 2012, against the Australian cricket team in Adelaide. He scored 78 runs and 110 runs respectively in the two innings. However, the match ended in a draw.

Du Plessis retired from Test cricket in 2021, having scored 4163 runs at an average of 40.03 with 10 centuries, which made him one of the most reliable South African batters in Tests. He took 63 catches in 69 matches.

Faf du Plessis T20I Career

Faf du Plessis played his maiden T20I against England on September 8, 2012, and rose to the position of the Proteas skipper. He has a strike rate of 134.38 and has scored 1528 runs in 50 matches. His only T20I century came against West Indies in January 2015.

Faf du Plessis Captaincy

Faf du Plessis took over the captaincy after the retirement of AB de Villiers and led the team in 36 Test matches. With 18 victories in Tests, he has a success rate of about 50 percent. He has played only 3 drawn matches and believed in a result-oriented match instead of high-scoring ones.

In the ODIs, Faf du Plessis has captained the team in 39 matches and has won 28 of them. Whereas in the T20Is, Faf du Plessis has won 25 out of 40 matches. He was one of the best captains of South Africa after AB de Villiers and has had a reliable performance.

In IPL, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru appointed him as the skipper of the franchise after he was bought for INR 7 crores in the mega auction held in 2022. Du Plessis led the Royal Challengers to playoffs in IPL 2022 but could not finish in the top-4 in IPL 2023.

Faf du Plessis Family

Faf du Plessis is the son of the South African rugby player Francois du Plessis and the cousin of Namibian Rugby star Marcel du Plessis. Faf du Plessis is married to Imari Visser and has two daughters. His sister is married to the South African cricketer Hardus Viljoen.

Faf du Plessis Net Worth

As of 2024, Faf du Plessis has an estimated net worth of INR 105 crores or USD 14 million.

Faf du Plessis House

Faf du Plessis resides in his luxurious mansion in Pretoria, South Africa.

Faf du Plessis Cars

Faf du Plessis owns a Range Rover Velar, a BMW R16, and an Audi TT.