CHENNAI: Is there a place for an anchor in a T20 side? Ideal case scenario: probably no. At this point, most teams play with at least one, preferably at the top, or two anchors (another in middle) depending on how the rest of the batting shapes up.
What happens when there are more than one anchors at the top? Teams often end up catching up or scoring par totals, which make them struggle in the larger scheme of things especially in the knockouts. Royal Challengers Bangalore are one such team that had this issue with Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis opening the batting. Both are world class batters, who have established themselves as anchors who can guide the team through and score on a consistent basis. Last year Kohli and Du Plessis scored 341 and 468 runs, respectively, while striking at 127.52 and 115.98. With Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell following them in the middle-order, RCB qualified for the play-offs before getting eliminated in the Qualifier 2.
This year, however, things are different. They did not have Patidar, Karthik is struggling for form and they could not have continued the same way they batted at the top. Thankfully for RCB, their skipper knows it more than anyone else and he has taken upon the role of the enforcer upfront. His powerplay strike rate in 2022 was 104.68. From the start of 2023, Du Plessis is striking at 151.74 in the first six overs, taking apart the bowling attack irrespective of match-ups. Once the field gets spread, he keeps going at 142.75 before notching up to 234.48 in the last four overs.
It is this transformation that played a massive role in him leading Joburg Super Kings to the semifinal of the SA 20 league. Du Plessis is continuing the same approach for the RCB in the IPL, allowing Kohli to be the anchor. The thing here is that given the form of the middle-order, should Du Plessis get out early, it puts massive pressure on Kohli and Maxwell. For once the trio gets out, it has been a hit or miss with the rest of the line-up.
Du Plessis’s purple patch notwithstanding, it is his approach against spinners in the powerplay, a negative match-up against both him and Kohli, that stands apart. The 38-year-old has been hitting spin at will in the first six overs striking at 126.82 whereas his partner Kohli hits at 111.76. In comparison, Du Plessis’ strike rate against spin in the powerplay last season was 93.18. Which means, he is basically nullifying the go-to tactic against not just him, but also Kohli, putting RCB on the front foot.
On Monday, against a slow and spinning surface against Lucknow Super Giants, he played the waiting game. Off the nine deliveries he faced from Lucknow spinners, Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya, in the powerplay, Du Plessis scored just five runs. Soon after Kohli and Maxwell got out, and the skipper became the anchor. He grinded his way to 40-ball 44 before getting out to Amit Mishra as RCB finished with 126/9. That was enough as RCB won by 18 runs.
Brief scores: RCB 126/9 in 20 ovs (Du Plessis 44) bt LSG 108 all out in 19.5 ovs (Hazlewood 2/15, Karn 2/20).