• Du Plessis impressed fans with his outstanding fielding against MI.

  • MI posted 162/9 against CSK in the IPL 2020 opener.

IPL 2020 – WATCH: Faf du Plessis grabs back to back stunners to dismiss Saurabh Tiwary and Hardik Pandya
Faf du Plessis catch (Image Source: Twitter)

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The first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is taking place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, where defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) and last season runners-up Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are locking horns with each other.

MS Dhoni won the toss and asked Mumbai to bat first. During the first innings, Super Kings player Faf du Plessis displayed top-quality fielding by grabbing two absolute screamers.

The former South African skipper is widely known for his unbelievable outfield efforts, and he yet again gave a glimpse of his acrobatic moves in the field. Du Plessis took two sensational catches near the boundary to send Saurabh Tiwary and Hardik Pandya back into the dugout.

It all happened in the 15th over of MI innings bowled by Ravindra Jadeja. On the first ball of the over, left-handed batsman Tiwary went downtown to send the white leather into the stands, but Du Plessis outdid him near the boundary line.

The former Proteas skipper jumped at the right time and landed on his left foot. As Du Plessis was about to cross the boundary rope, he released the ball, came inside the boundary to complete a fantastic catch.

Du Plessis outfoxes Hardik with an incredible catch

Just as Mumbai were recovering from the magic exhibited by Du Plessis, he yet again activated his beast mode to take an absolute beauty near the boundary rope. This time the victim was Hardik who went for a lofted shot over long-off, but Faf had some other plans. The 36-year-old sprinted and jumped up in the air to complete the catch.

For MI, opener Quinton de Kock (33) and Tiwary (42) scored fruitful runs to help their side post a competitive total of 162/9 in 20 overs. Apart from the duo, no other MI batter was able to cross the 20-run mark.

Lungi Ngidi (3/38) picked up three wickets while Deepak Chahar (2/32) and Jadeja (2/42) bagged two wickets each. Sam Curran (1/28) and Piyush Chawla (1/21) also claimed one wicket a piece.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Du Plessis’ brilliance:

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CATEGORY: Chennai Super Kings Faf du Plessis IPL Video

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AKSHAT GAUR
Akshat is the Sr. Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, Akshat has honed his skills over 6 years, working with various media outlets, publications, and organizations to deliver high-quality content that informs, educates, and entertains audiences. He is just another cricket fan who’s grown up watching the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Cricket runs in his veins. Cover drive is his favorite sight, and a ball meeting the middle of the bat is his favorite sound. You can write to him at akshat.gaur@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook & Linkedin.