Kwena Maphaka

About

Kwena Maphaka may just be poised to be one of the big stars of the new season of the IPL. A bright and young left-arm pacer, Kwena Maphaka has been a player to watch out for in the recent few years . He made his mark in the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 for South Africa, where in the semi-final he took 3 wickets for 32 runs in 10 overs against India. The youngster had his first taste of IPL in the 2024 edition when he made his debut for the Mumbai Indians at the age of 17. Though he made just two appearances where he picked up one wicket across his two matches, the learning experience would have been invaluable. After making his IPL bow, Maphaka went on to debut for South Africa in all three formats. In January 2025, the now 18-year-old Maphaka became the youngest-ever player to make his Test debut for South Africa in the New Year’s clash against Pakistan in Cape Town. With all the international experience he had quickly gained, eight matches across all three formats, Maphaka returns to the IPL a much more mature cricketer in 2025, having been picked by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 1.2 Crore.