IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals Sign Teen South African Star in Ongoing Replacement Wave

Rajasthan Royals have replaced injured Nitish Rana with a 19-year-old South African cricketer, Lhuan-dre Pretorious. He is set to play the remaining matches of the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals have joined the list of teams that have opted for late-season replacements. They have brought in South Africa’s Lhuan-dre Pretorious as the replacement of injured Nitish Rana. The youngster has joined RR for the base price of Rs. 30 lakh.

Who is Lhuan-dre Pretorious?

Lhuan-dre Pretorious is considered one of the most promising young wicketkeepers and batters. He is known for his aggressive style at the top of the order. He is yet to make his debut at the senior international level for South Africa.

Although not experienced at the international level, Pretorious made his mark during the SA20 2024-2025 season. With 397 runs at a strike rate of 166.80 in 12 matches, he ended as the leading run-scorer of the league.

One of his best knocks of the season for the Paarl Royals came against Sunrisers Eastern Cape, where he slammed 97 off 51 deliveries. After his spell in the SA20, he was signed by Hampshire for Vitality Blast for his first county stint.

Last year, he was South Africa’s highest run scorer at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup.

Late-Season Replacement Trend

Many teams have signed replacement players since the rule change in IPL 2025. Earlier, teams were allowed to sign replacements only until their seventh match of the season. However, the IPL has extended this period until the conclusion of the 12th match.

RR have been eliminated from the race to the playoffs along with CSK and SRH. They have won only 3 matches out of 12 and remain in ninth position in the points table.

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