Lhuan-dre Pretorius Replaces Nitish Rana in Rajasthan Royals Team
South African youngster Lhuan-dre Pretorius has been acquired by Rajasthan Royals as a cover for injured Nitish Rana for the rest of IPL 2025. The 19-year-old left-handed wicketkeeper-batter Pretorius rose to fame with his big-hitting performances in SA20 2025, scoring 397 runs in 12 games for Paarl Royals. He will be part of RR for his minimum auction price of ₹30 lakh, looking to strengthen their middle-order batting strength.
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Nitish Rana has been officially excluded from IPL 2025, and South African cricketer Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who is just 19 years old, will take his place in the Rajasthan Royals team. The choice was made as Rana sat out the Royals' previous game against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens because of a minor injury. Rana's IPL 2025 season came to a close with 217 runs in 11 games at a strike-rate of 161.94. He scored two half-centuries with his best score being 81.
Left-handed batter and wicketkeeper Pretorius has been selected by Rajasthan Royals for his base price of INR 30 lakh. An uncapped player in international cricket, he has impressed in domestic T20 tournaments. Pretorius represents Titans in South Africa's domestic cricket and Paarl Royals in the SA20 league. He was the top run-scorer in the latest season of SA20, scoring 397 runs from 12 matches at a destructive strike-rate of 166.81.
Although Pretorius has played only 33 T20 games, his career thus far has 911 runs with a good strike-rate of 147.17 and an average of 27.60. He has also hit six half-centuries, indicating his potential to perform well in T20s consistently. This young player contributes a lot of potential and new energy to the team, and he will be looking to make a mark in his IPL debut.
Though Rajasthan Royals' possibilities of entering the playoffs are over this season, they have two remaining games to play. Their last two games are against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai and Punjab Kings in Jaipur. Though these two games won't alter their destiny for the playoffs, the Royals will be seeking to finish their season on a positive note with quality performances from their remaining players, such as Pretorius.
With the arrival of Pretorius, Rajasthan Royals have welcomed another multi-faceted cricketer into their fold, and everyone waits with bated breath to witness how he fits into the IPL matrix. His attacking approach to batting and exposure to domestic T20 league cricket should provide the Royals with some new possibilities as they approach their last match-ups for the season. Although the team is not in playoff position, they can still use the time to experiment with new combinations and provide a stage for players such as Pretorius to prove themselves on the big stage.
