At an age where most normal people contemplate what to do after school, young Kwena Maphaka is all set to make his international bow with the South African senior side. Just amazing!

It will indeed be a red-letter day for the talented Maphaka, who is part of the 15-member T20I squad to play the West Indies, if he manages to make his debut. The rise of our left-arm pacer through the ranks has been nothing short of astonishing.

Maphaka was destined to play cricket. At the tender age of 15, he made the cut to the South Africa U19 team for the 2022 World Cup. With seven wickets in just three games, Maphaka was marked as a bright prospect for the future. He proved to be more than a handful in the 2024 under-19 World Cup, finishing as the top wicket-taker in the tournament, picking up 21 wickets from just six matches at an unbelievable average of 9.71 and a strike rate of 15.28.

Not long after, Maphaka donned the Blue and Gold jersey with us and kicked off his IPL journey. Still in his teens, Maphaka was living a dream and the Paltan also got the opportunity to watch the youngster from up close. The promise was there for the world to see. 

Now in his first tour with the senior team, he continues to make giant strides in the game. His ‘I don’t know’ celebrations after taking a wicket are already iconic, and we cannot wait to see him unleash a lot more of this in the coming days!