South African players face crucial moments in IPL as WTC final preparations loom

Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad plays a shot during the 2025 IPL match between Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on May 19, 2025, in Lucknow, India. (Photo by Prakash Singh/Getty Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

22 May 2025

South Africa’s IPL contingent has had a mixed bag of performances upon the restart of the tournament.

It’s been a slow restart for South Africans upon the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this week. It’s also the final week of games for most of the South African IPL stars who will fly back to join up with the rest of the Test squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final preparations.

Aiden Markram continues to be the standout South African in this season’s IPL with a brilliant 61 off 38 deliveries for the Lucknow Super Giants in their six-wicket loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Markram’s finesse has complemented the brutality of Australia’s Mitchell Marsh (65 off 39) at the top of the order for the Super Giants this season, with the pair sharing a 115-run stand in 10.3 overs in Monday’s defeat.

It is Markram’s fifth half-century of the season and has taken him to 409 runs, the most he has ever reached in the five seasons he has been playing in the IPL. His runs have also come rapidly at a strike rate of 148.72.

His efforts were insufficient, however, as Heinrich Klaasen and his chargers chased down the 205-run target with an over and four deliveries to spare. Klaasen was pivotal in his side’s efforts, clubbing a quick-fire 47 off 28 deliveries.

The Sunrisers went into the match out of contention for the final four and their victory over Lucknow gave the Super Giants a slim chance of qualification for the playoffs. But Mumbai Indians’ 59-run win over Delhi Capitals yesterday sealed the final four standings.

Dewald Brevis of Chennai Super Kings plays a shot during their 2025 IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on 7 May 2025, in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Prakash Singh / Getty Images)

Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bangaluru, Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians will fight it out for the 2025 IPL trophy. The order of the final four must still be established in the final matches of the regular season.

The Lucknow Super Giants, who languish in seventh place, face Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee’s Gujarat Titans on 22 May. The Titans are on top of the table, having won nine of their 12 matches so far.

It will be both Markram and Rabada’s last match in the standard-setting global T20 tournament this season as they leave the tournament on Sunday for national team WTC final preparation.

Brevis impact

Basement dwellers Chennai Super Kings failed to add to their three wins this season after falling to the Rajasthan Royals by six wickets on Tuesday, who are second from bottom, despite an impressive knock from young Dewald Brevis.

Brevis struck 42 runs off 25 deliveries after coming in with his side on 70 for four after 6.3 overs. The 22-year-old pinged two fours and three spectacular sixes, which included a no-look flick over the midwicket boundary off the bowling of compatriot Kwena Maphaka.

“I’ve really been enjoying being part of the team,” said Brevis, who joined the team more than halfway through the season after being signed as a replacement for injured Gurjapneet Singh. “We’ve played some great cricket throughout the competition, there’s small margins in T20 cricket. Sometimes if it doesn’t go your way it can turn into a loss.”

Tristan Stubbs of Delhi Capitals in action against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on 21 May 2025, in Mumbai, India. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav / MB Media / Getty Images)

It was 19-year-old Maphaka’s second match in the tournament this season having replaced England’s Jofra Archer in the Rajasthan Royals lineup. Archer didn’t return following the resumption of the IPL, as he joined up with England’s ODI squad, which is currently in the West Indies preparing for a six-game white-ball series.

It was the final match of the season for Rajasthan Royals who ended their season with only four wins from 14 matches. Another South African youngster, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, was close to getting on the field for them, having signed for the final two matches of the season.

Pretorius was padded up in the dugout when the winning runs were hit and would probably have been substituted in for the Royals had Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel not finished off the match.

Slow return

The 10-day break in the IPL — due to political tensions between India and Pakistan — didn’t serve all of the South African representatives in the tournament well.

Rabada, in his first match back from a (recreational) substance abuse ban was clobbered for 34 runs in two overs against the Delhi Capitals. It was a match the Titans still won, thanks to the brilliance of the two leading run-scorers in the tournament, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, who put on a 205-run partnership to chase the score down with all 10 wickets in hand.

Ryan Rickelton got 25 off 18 deliveries in Mumbai Indians’ 59-run victory over Delhi Capitals. It’s been a season of many starts, only kicking on twice for Rickelton in his first season in the IPL.

Heinrich Klaasen in action for the Sunrisers Hyderabad on 19 May 12025, in Lucknow, India. (Photo: Prakash Singh / Getty Images)

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Rickelton said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience for me. Not just on the field cricket-wise, but off the field as well, experiencing India individually and with my family who have come in for a portion of the time.

“I’ve loved it. It’s tested me on and off the field, but I’ve really enjoyed it,” said the wicketkeeper batter, who opens the batting alongside Rohit Sharma.

“To open the batting with an India icon is something I’ll look back on very fondly.”

The Delhi Capitals have suffered back-to-back defeats since the resumption of the tournament, which derailed their hopes of qualifying for the final four. Veteran South African Faf du Plessis hasn’t helped the cause with scores of five off 10 and six off seven in those two games. DM

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South Africa

Brevis impact

Slow return