Faf du Plessis, the former captain of the South African cricket team, has been appointed as the captain of the Texas Super Kings for the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC), America’s first professional T20 Cricket League. The team, based in Dallas, is owned by the same individuals who own the highly successful IPL franchise, the Chennai Super Kings.
The coaching responsibilities for the Texas Super Kings will be entrusted to the legendary New Zealand cricketer, Stephen Fleming, who also serves as the head coach for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and the Joburg Super Kings in SA20. The franchise made the announcement of du Plessis’ appointment through a special video featuring the South African cricketer, where he can be heard saying, “Whistle for Texas.”
No c a p tion needed! 💛@faf1307 @MLCricket #yellovetexas #MajorleagueCricket #WhistleForTexas pic.twitter.com/2X0yUkBNY7
— Texas Super Kings (@TexasSuperKings) June 16, 2023
Interestingly, du Plessis has been leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL since 2022. Under his captaincy, the team reached the playoffs in 2022 but unfortunately got eliminated in the league stage in the 2023 season. Despite the team’s performance, du Plessis had an outstanding tournament, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer with 730 runs in 14 innings at an impressive average of 56.15.
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The Texas Super Kings will also feature prominent international players such as Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Ambati Rayudu, and David Miller during the first season of MLC. It will be a reunion for Santner, Rayudu, and Conway, who recently played together and won the IPL 2023 representing the Chennai Super Kings.
In addition, the team will benefit from the participation of the legendary all-rounder and bowling coach of the Chennai Super Kings, Dwayne Bravo. The coaching staff will be led by Stephen Fleming, with assistance from Eric Simmons and Albie Morkel.
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The MLC 2023 season will witness six teams competing against each other from July 14 to 31 in Dallas, Texas. It promises to be an exciting event that will bring together some of the biggest names in international cricket. With Faf du Plessis leading the Texas Super Kings, the team aims to make a strong impact in the inaugural season of the league and establish their presence in American cricket.
