South Africa has a rich history with the IPL, dating back to the tournament’s inaugural season. Legends like Shaun Pollock, Herschelle Gibbs, and Jacques Kallis were among the first South African players to make their mark. Over time, stars such as AB de Villiers, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, and more recently, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs have significantly contributed to the league.
A notable mention is Heinrich Klaasen, who played a pivotal role in leading SRH to the IPL 2024 final.
In a recent meeting between IPL franchises and the BCCI, several key issues were addressed, including retention limits, the potential removal of the Impact Player rule, and changes to the auction format. The BCCI plans to review these suggestions and announce decisions by the end of the month.
In this context, we speculate on five South African players who might consider retiring from T20 cricket if they are not picked in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
South Africa Legends Set To Retire From T20s If Not Picked In IPL 2025
Keshav Maharaj
Maharaj was signed up as an injury replacement by Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. He played just two matches and picked up two wickets.
Despite playing across the T20 league all around the world, Maharaj was never really considered an option by the IPL franchises. He has a decent record playing across formats for South Africa. However, a decent IPL contract never came his way.
Anrich Nortje
Nortje like Jofra Archer has remained injury-prone over the years playing in the IPL. In six matches in 2024, he just took seven wickets. The team combination did not give him a longer run with the Capitals.
In case he is released by the Capitals, his injury-prone history as an international cricketer might not make the franchises bid for him in the next auction.
Rassie Van der Dussen
Van der Dussen played three matches for Rajasthan Royals scoring 22 with a best of 12.
His future in the IPL looks uncertain as franchises might not like to bring him back into their side given his stats in the tournament. He might well consider retiring from the format.
Tabraiz Shamsi
The South African leggie last played in the IPL in 2021 for the Rajasthan Royals. He has been a lost case since then in the IPL. He plays across all T20 leagues but has never found his footing in the IPL.
Just three wickets in five games does not back up his stats as well. He is no longer expected to be picked in the auction with several young Indian and international spinners playing in the league.
Lungi Ngidi
Ngidi is the final South African player on this list who can think about retiring from the IPL. He is expected to go undsold having last played in the IPL in 2021 for Delhi Capitals.
His best in the IPL came for CSK where he took 20 wickets across two seasons. However, his inconsistent run with Delhi Capitals now makes him almost a forgotten case in the IPL.
