South Africa's young guns shine as Pretorius, Burger join Rajasthan Royals for final push

14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi could soon have a new opening partner in South Africa's 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius. (Photo: Indian Premier League)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

9 May 2025

The number of South Africans in the Indian Premier League is increasing by the week as Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Nandre Burger look to perform as well as their compatriots.

The number of South Africans playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) keeps increasing, with Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Nandre Burger both being added to the Rajasthan Royals squad for the back end of the season.

Big-hitting Pretorius replaces the injured Nitish Rana while left-arm quick Burger comes in for Sandeep Sharma, who sustained a finger injury.

Pretorius is still only 19 years old and if the left-hander opens the batting with Rajasthan Royals’ regular opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is 14 years old, their combined age will be only 33.

The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter is coming off a breakthrough SA20 season in which he finished as the leading run scorer with 397 runs in only 12 innings, which included three half centuries.

His clean ball striking, evidenced by his impressive strike rate of 166.81 in SA20 2025, was the most eye-catching aspect of the young batter.

Burger, meanwhile, did not participate in the previous edition of the SA20. In fact, his last competitive match was for the Proteas in a one-day international against Afghanistan in September last year. He has been nursing a back injury since then.

The big burly 29-year-old fast bowler has struggled with various injuries throughout his career.

The Rajasthan Royals are languishing second from bottom in the standings and are out of contention for a spot in the knockouts, but have secured the valuable signings of Pretorius and Burger whom they can retain next season if the duo leave an impression.

Burger played for the Royals last season in the IPL. For Pretorius, if he takes to the field, it will be a maiden showing in the tournament. The Rajasthan Royals have two matches left in the tournament.

Impressive Brevis

Another late South African entry at the IPL, Dewald Brevis, did not take long to light up the Chennai Super Kings’ batting lineup.

The 22-year-old played a sparkling innings of 52 off 25 deliveries against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday to help his side to a two-wicket victory.

Dewald Brevis has found his feet quickly in the 2025 IPL with his new franchise Chennai Super Kings. (Photo: Indian Premier League)

Brevis was particularly brutal in the 11th over, bowled by Indian quick Vaibhav Arora, which he smashed for 30 runs. Brevis was dropped at long off in the first delivery of the over, the ball slipping between the fingers of the fielder as it crept over for six.

He then struck two consecutive fours before unleashing two massive sixes, and then ended the over with a backfoot slap past the cover fielder.

“That over was very in the moment,” Brevis said after the match. “That’s how I want to play, I want to have fun, I want to enjoy it, I want to take it ball by ball.

“This is what the IPL and T20 cricket is all about. [Small] moments. When there’s an open door you have to slam it down.”

The aggressive right-hander, with his trademark no-look shots, has batted in four innings with scores of 42, 32, 0 and most recently 52.

Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. (Photo: Indian Premier League)

Replays of the first ball duck he suffered, against Lungi Ngidi and the Royal Challengers Bangaluru, showed to be missing the stumps but Brevis was too late on the call to request a review.

“The more I play the more I’ll figure my way out,” Brevis said. “I just want to be true to myself, and I know for a fact that I’ll do this throughout, and for longer innings as well.”

Brevis joined the Chennai Super Kings with the team already knocked out of the IPL after seven matches, but he has solidified a wobbly middle order after watching most of the initial period of the tournament at home.

“It made me very hungry for this,” he said about not being at the tournament from the jump. “A few weeks ago I was sitting on the couch watching the games, and I was thinking ‘I want to be there.’

“I just trusted in the process… I’m grateful to be here and to contribute and to have fun.”

Bowlers are back

After extended periods on the reserves bench, a few of South Africa’s quicks have been able to get into the action, and effectively so.

Gerald Coetzee has taken two wickets in the two matches he has played, conceded 36 runs in the four overs he bowled in the first, and only 10 in the two he delivered in the second.

Coetzee also showed his ability with the bat, striking an important 12 off six — which included a final over six — to help the Gujarat Titans chase down Mumbai Indians’ modest total to remain on top of the standings.

Kagiso Rabada, who also plays for Gujarat Titans, has returned to the squad after his one month recreational drug use ban, but has yet to run out again for the side.

Ngidi has had to wait his turn behind the impressive Australian Josh Hazlewood for an opportunity to get on to the oval field. Hazlewood sat out the Royal Challengers Bangaluru’s previous match against Chennai due to an injury, and Ngidi proved that he was a more than capable replacement, returning figures of three wickets for 30 runs in his team’s two-run win.

Hazlewood is likely to return to the fray for Bangaluru when they take on Lucknow Super Giants tomorrow afternoon, with Ngidi the unlucky one to miss out as both teams look to secure their place in the knockout stages. DM

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

South Africa

Impressive Brevis

Bowlers are back