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 the 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 was introduced to 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, his resume well fits other sports such as hockey, football, tennis, rugby, gymnastics, and athletics.

Kwena Maphaka Under-19 Career

Completing his high-school studies at St. Stithians, from where Kagiso Rabada emerged, Kwena Maphaka was first sighted by the then Under-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 at the 2022 World Cup, ending the tournament with 7 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.

Kwena Maphaka Franchise Career

Kwena Maphaka 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.

After his early exploits, 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 (MI) 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.

Maphaka is the youngest player to debut for the Mumbai Indians in IPL history, making his debut at 17 years and 354 days old against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024.

Kwena Maphaka T20I Career

After breaking into the action at the junior level, Kwena Maphaka made his T20I debut for South Africa against the West Indies on August 23, 2024, at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. 

Notably, at 18 years and 137 days old, he became the youngest male cricketer to represent South Africa in international cricket, taking 1/25 in 3.5 overs.

Kwena Maphaka ODI Career

Kwena Maphaka's ODI debut wasn't far off as well. Interestingly, in his maiden ODI appearance against Pakistan on December 19, 2024, the speed gun clocked him bowling 151kph. 

He also became the youngest ODI debutant for South Africa, picking up figures of 4/72 in a high-scoring contest.

Kwena Maphaka Test Career

Becoming the 134th player to play a Test for South Africa since readmission, Kwena Maphaka made his Test debut against Pakistan at Cape Town on January 3, 2025. 

At age 18 and 270 days, he became the youngest South African Test cricketer. He surpassed Paul Adams' previous record (18 years, 340 days) and claimed his first Test wicket by dismissing Babar Azam. 

(As of February 2026)