Rising South African cricket prodigy Lhuan-dre Pretorius has been called up to the Indian Premier League (IPL), joining the Rajasthan Royals as a replacement for the injured Nitish Rana who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament due to a calf injury.
The 19-year-old sensation has been one of the standout performers in the 2024/25 season.
Pretorius made waves during his debut campaign in the SA20, where he topped the run-scoring charts with 397 runs at a blistering strike rate of 166.81, including a headline-making 97 off 51 balls on debut for the Paarl Royals.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius also shone on the international stage, emerging as South Africa U19’s leading run-scorer at the 2024 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup with 287 runs at an average of 57.40 and a strike rate nearing 95.
Domestically, he plays for the Titans and has recently signed with Hampshire to feature in England’s T20 Blast.
Further boost
Meanwhile, in a further boost to South African cricket, Western Province’s Nandre Burger has also been drafted by the Rajasthan Royals as injury cover for Sandeep Sharma.
Burger’s inclusion underscores the growing influence of South Africa’s next generation on global T20 leagues.
The Rajasthan Royals are out of the running for IPL victory this season as they lie ninth in the 10-team table with just six points thanks to three wins and nine defeats to date.
They have two matches remaining this IPL season.
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