Faf du Plessis ruled out of CPL 2023, set to undergo surgery

Faf du Plessis scored 112 runs in 3 innings he batted in 4 matches in the CPL 2023.

St Lucia Kings captain Faf du Plessis has been sidelined for the rest of the CPL 2023 due to a longstanding elbow injury, which will now require surgery as well. The issue has been diagnosed as a tennis elbow ailment, which Du Plessis has had for some time now.

Du Plessis’ absence is a significant blow to the Kings. He was their second-highest run-getter last season (behind Johnson Charles) and fourth-highest overall, with 332 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 169. Overall, his leadership has been central to the Kings’ progress over the past two years.

Faf Du Plessis told Ian Bishop at the post-match presentation that

“Happy with the result, but obviously sad [that] I’m leaving at a crucial stage in the tournament when you feel like the team can start doing some really good things in the tournament. For me, the challenge with the elbow is I’ve played with it (tennis elbow) for almost two years; I’ve had eight cortisone injections into my elbow.

So I’m at a stage where the cortisone is not good for my body anymore; so that’s why the operation is always the last resort. I didn’t want to do it, but [have] time off now. I’ve got to basically go from here to get off the plane into the hospital to get the surgery done,”

The captaincy of St Lucia Kings will be given to Sikandar Raza, who made his debut last month.

Colin Munro named replacement for Faf du Plessis

St Lucia Kings have named Colin Munro as a replacement for Faf du Plessis, which is a massive addition to the side as the New Zealander is the highest run-getter among overseas players in CPL history.

On the other hand, Sikandar Raza will take over as captain of the side. Raza only had one stint as captain in recognized franchise T20 cricket with Dambulla Aura in the LPL last year, when Dasun Shanaka was injured.

However, he received backing from Du Plessis, who also said that the team management, along with Raza, will do well to maintain their No. 1 spot in the CPL points table.

“Raza is someone who has played a lot of T20 and T10 cricket. So very much an experienced brain there; so it’s great to have those guys on the field and ask questions. Obviously, it’s a change, and probably you could say a big change because it’s someone stepping into the shoes for the first time with the St Lucia Kings. But luckily, we’ve got someone like Sammy there who will make sure for the first one or two games there will be some direction from his side. And then trust the guy on the field with the resources that he has at his disposal,” Du Plessis signed off.

The St. Lucia Kings will next face the Barbados Royals on September 3rd in Bridgetown.

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