Kwena Maphaka

With 21 wickets—the most for any pacer in an edition of the Under-19 World Cup—Kwena Maphaka was deservingly named the Player of the Tournament. The left-arm medium-fast bowler took South Africa U-19 team to the semi-final, where they lost to India U-19 in a thrilling encounter in early 2024.

Born in Johannesburg, Maphaka got acquainted with cricket at the age of 3, playing in his backyard, where he used to bowl to his elder brother.

He is an all-rounder in all senses. Apart from cricket, other sporting disciplines such as hockey, football, tennis, rugby, gymnastics, and athletics fit well in his resume.

Completing his high-school studies from St. Stithians, from where Kagiso Rabada emerged, Maphaka was first sighted by the then U-19 coach of South Africa, Shukri Conrad, who was impressed with his searing pace and unplayable inswingers.

He went on to play for South Africa U-19 in the World Cup 2022, ending the tournament with seven wickets in three innings.

The Protea made his T20 debut for South Africa U-19 in the CSA Provincial T20 Cup 2022. He bagged a four-for in the game against the Mpumalanga Rhinos.

His First-Class debut came in June 2023 in the series against Sri Lanka. In his maiden appearance, he bagged three wickets in both innings of the match.

Maphaka was the highest wicket-taker for South Africa U-19 in the youth ODI series versus Bangladesh U-19, adding seven scalps to his name. In his debut List-A match in the CSA ODI Cup Division 2 2023, he pocketed three wickets for the South Africa emerging side.

He was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tri-series against India U-19 and Afghanistan U-19 with 10 dismissals.

Playing his second U-19 World Cup, Maphaka took a five-wicket haul in the first match against the West Indies. He finished the competition as the leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets, including three five-fors, the most by any player at U-19 World Cups so far.

He is also South Africa's highest wicket-taker in the tournament's history, with 28 across two editions. 

He was acquired by Paarl Royals in the SA20 2024 draft but did not get to play there as the dates clashed with the U-19 World Cup.

In a recent development, Kwena Maphaka was named as Dilshan Madushanka’s replacement after the Sri Lankan pacer was ruled out of the Indian Premier League 2024 due to an injury. Mumbai Indians acquired Maphaka’s services at his base price of INR 50 lakh. He will now share dressing rooms with Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and many more international stars.

(As of March 2024)