Faf du Plessis was in fine form with a half-century for Delhi Capitals (DC) in his side’s defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday.
Though former Proteas skipper Du Plessis was the top-scorer from either side with his knock of 62 from 45, DC fell to a 14-run defeat to KKR.
Batting first, KKR set an imposing 204/9, and in response, DC could only manage 190/9 in their reply.
Opening the innings, the wickets continued to fall around Du Plessis when he was finally out in the 16th over.
Du Plessis’ Impressive IPL Comeback and Stubbs’ Consistent Performance for DC
In fact, Du Plessis had been briefly joined by another Proteas player, Tristan Stubbs. The 24-year-old Stubbs, though, lasted just three balls.
For the 40-year-old Du Plessis, it was his second 50 of the competition from just five appearances. His time has been limited so far in the IPL this season as he was out for just over two weeks with a groin injury.
In his first match back on Sunday, Du Plessis scratched his way to 22 from 26 balls before he was out against Royal Challengers Bangalore. DC also lost that match. DC are now in fourth place on the table as a result, after 10 rounds.
Stubbs, meanwhile, has played all 10 matches for DC and notched up 218 runs. Coming in at number six, Stubbs has four not-outs, which has boosted his average to 43 despite a top score of 38 unbeaten. To his credit, his dismissal was just the second time in the 2025 IPL that he has scored lower than 21.
Though his average is somewhat flattering, the strike-rate of 161 by Stubbs has been exceptional and itself worthy of retaining his place in the team.
@Michael_Sherman
Sport
