Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey
Faf du Plessis to lead CSK-owned Johannesburg franchise in CSA T20 League | Faf du Plessis to skipper Johannesburg
Faf du Plessis will be the captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Sports Limited-owned Johannesburg Super Kings in Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) T20 League. The owners of the four-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions have picked du Plessis as one of their five direct signings for a cost of US$375,000.
The former South African skipper is CSK veteran, having played 100 matches for them across two stints from 2011-15 and 2018-21 respectively. He was a part of three IPL winning squads in MS Dhoni’s team and became a fan-favourite due to his incredible performances and loyalty towards the franchise.
CSK fans thrilled to see Faf du Plessis captain the Johannesburg franchise
There was an emotional upheaval amongst the CSK fans as du Plessis had to shift to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after the mega-auction this year. However, his return to the franchise’s umbrella in the South African league will mark a sweet homecoming for the 37-year-old.
In addition to du Plessis, the team has also acquired the services of Moeen Ali and Maheesh Theekshana. Moeen was instrumental in CSK’s title-winning campaign in 2021 and was one of their four retentions prior to the 2022 season. Theekshana, on the other hand, was picked by CSK for Rs 70 lakh in the mega-auction in 2022.
Theekshana delivered some promising performances in an otherwise underwhelming year for the team. Moeen was roped in for a sum of US$400,000 whereas Theekshana will bag $200,000 to turn up for the Johannesburg-based franchise. West Indian all-rounder Romario Shepherd and Gerald Coetzee are the other two direct signings made by the franchise, ESPNCricinfo reports.
Shepherd was picked by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a whopping Rs 7.75 crore ahead of IPL 2022. CSK’s interest in the 27-year-old is evident from the fact that they chased him till the Rs 5 crore mark in the mega-auction. However, they relented post that and SRH eventually outbid Rajasthan Royals (RR) to get Shepherd. Now, the swashbuckler will be appearing for the Johannesburg Super Kings for US$175,000.
Coetzee, a 20-year-old fast-bowler, has been signed as a development player for US $50,000. He has represented South Africa in two editions of the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup.
Furthermore, CSK stalwart Stephen Fleming will assume similar head coach duties for their Johannesburg franchise. Bowling coach Eric Simmons will be joining the coaching staff whereas there are talks to bring in former CSK star Albie Morkel to the setup as well. Morkel represented Chennai from 2018-13 and was a key part of their two title-winning squads in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The six franchises in the CSA T20 league were allowed to make five direct signings each from a pool of 30 marquee players.
