Cape Town, Feb 13 (IANS): South Africa star Faf du Plessis, who was bought for Rs 7 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 mega auction, on Sunday sent an emotional message to Chennai Super Kings fans after his decade-long association with the franchise came to end.

A bidding war had ensued for du Plessis between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Delhi Capitals (DC), with Bangalore eventually succeeding in picking him.

Du Plessis, who began his IPL journey with CSK, has been one of the most consistent players in the cash-rich league so far. He was also in superb form for CSK during their victorious run in the IPL 2021 campaign, scoring 633 runs in 16 matches.

"I just wanted to do a quick video message to say thank you to Chennai, the fans, the staff, the management and players for it has been a decade with one team," Faf du Plessis said in a social media post shared by CSK.

"You create a lot of special memories. I think it's really important for me to say thank you. I've really enjoyed my time a lot. I will really miss everyone there. But as one door closes, a new one opens up and that comes up with great opportunities. I'm excited to see what the future holds. From me and my family, thank you very much," he added.

Faf du Plessis is likely to open the batting with Virat Kohli at RCB. The South African could also take over as the captain of RCB as Kohli stepped down from the role after the end of the IPL 2021 season.

RCB's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson insisted that du Plessis, along with Maxwell, Kohli and newest acquisition Josh Hazlewood will be the leaders in the side.