BBL: Faf du Plessis nominates for the overseas draft

Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis has nominated himself for the (Big Bash League) BBL overseas draft.  Du Plessis was roped in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore during the two-day IPL 2022 mega auction and was eventually appointed as their captain just two weeks before the commencement of the tournament. Du Plessis “will be available for at least a portion of the upcoming season” reportedly.

Meanwhile, the veteran Proteas batter was also one of four overseas players announced as the first batch of nominees for the draft which is scheduled to be held in August. The others in this list include the likes of Faf’s countryman and former teammate Rilee Rossouw, ex-Proteas and current Namibia all-rounder David Wiese, and former South Africa fast bowler Marchant de Lange.

Faf du Plessis was in great form in IPL 2022

The former Proteas skipper has made just a solitary appearance in BBL which happened to be way back in the 2012 edition where he had represented the Melbourne Renegades and played alongside the current Australian limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch and Sri Lanka spin legend Muttiah Muralidaran.

Even though the former South African skipper had announced his retirement from Tests back in early 2021, he had made it clear that he is open to playing for the Proteas in ODIs and T20Is. However, the selectors and team management have seemingly looked beyond him and he was not even in the scheme of things during the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE.

Faf had an excellent IPL 2022 with the bat finishing with 468 runs from 16 matches at a strike rate of 127.52 including three half-centuries with his highest score being 96. RCB were knocked out in the second Qualifier by going down to the eventual runners-up Rajasthan Royals in a one-sided contest.

It is mandatory for the overseas players willing to participate in BBL to nominate their price category which is in the range of gold, silver, and bronze, and also confirm their availability for the tournament. Meanwhile, reports state that Faf du Plessis could feature in the platinum category. In this category, a player gets the top salary of $AUD340,000.