Du Plessis, who was the captain at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) till the end of IPL 2024, was released by the franchise ahead of the mega auction last year, and was subsequently acquired by DC for his base price of INR 2 crore (US$0.24 million). He was chosen ahead of KL Rahul, another former IPL captain who moved to DC this year.
Du Plessis, a former South Africa captain in all formats, became a part of the IPL in 2012 after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought him on board. He remained a part of the team till the end of the 2015 season, moved to Rising Pune Supergiant/s for two seasons when CSK were banned from the IPL, and went back to CSK, staying there till 2021. RCB bought him at the auction in 2022 and, with Virat Kohli stepping down as the team’s captain ahead of that season, was given charge of the team. He led them for three seasons, and while RCB reached the playoffs in both 2022 and 2024, they are yet to win the trophy they have chased for 17 seasons now.
Overall in the IPL, the 40-year-old du Plessis has 4571 runs from 145 matches at an average of 35.99 and a strike rate of 136.37. He remains active in the franchise cricket circuit, and last turned out in the SA20 for Joburg Super Kings earlier this year. He could also be in demand when the teams start building their squads for the upcoming season of the Hundred, with Southern Brave, now owned by the GMR Group that also owns DC, working on a deal to bring him on board.