A traditional orthodox left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj has emerged as the frontline spinner for the Proteas in the longest format. A committed cricketer, Maharaj provides stability to the South African set-up comprising world-class fast bowlers. Maharaj is also a useful lower-order batter who has the ability to chip in with some crucial runs at important junctures of the match. 

Having made his first-class debut for KwaZulu-Natal in 2006-07, he shifted to the Dolphins in 2009-10. Maharaj was part of the South Africa Academy squad in April-May 2010 and took 13 wickets in four-day matches against the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy. He was also part of the South Africa A team against Bangladesh A in 2010-11. 

Maharaj was part of the Cuckfield squad in the 2013 Sussex Premier League and signed as a professional for Nelson in the 2015 Lancashire League. 

He was also part of the KwaZulu-Natal team for the 2015 Africa T20 Cup. However, Maharaj has emerged as more of a red ball bowler who has the ability to control the game with his guile and ability to hit the right areas on a consistent basis. 

After a brilliant time with the ball in the domestic season, Maharaj was included in the South African squad for the tour of Australia in 2016. He made his debut in Perth and since then has gone on to establish himself as the primary spinner in the Test team. 

Maharaj had a sensational time with the ball in New Zealand and England and proved his worth, bagging 15 and 17 wickets in two overseas tours in 2016/17. 

Maharaj was expected to make a mark in subcontinental conditions but had a torrid time in India when the Proteas were thrashed 3-0 in the 2019-20 Test series. Despite bagging 6 wickets in 2 matches, Maharaj couldn’t provide the much-needed balance which he did in Australia and New Zealand. 

However, given his class and control, he is expected to be part of the Test squad in the coming years. Maharaj has also played some gutsy knocks in the lower order and has provided the balance which South Africa has been lacking in the last few years.

In April 2021, Keshav Maharaj was named in KwaZulu-Natal’s squad for the 2021–22 cricket season in South Africa. A few months later, in June 2021, he achieved a remarkable feat by taking South Africa’s second-ever Test hat-trick during a match against the West Indies, becoming the first South African to do so since Geoff Griffin in 1960.

In September 2021, Maharaj was allowed to lead South Africa for the first time in ODIs against Sri Lanka. During the same tour, he made his T20I debut, also as the team’s captain, and made an immediate impact by taking a wicket with his very first ball in the format. 

Despite South Africa losing the ODI series 2-1, he led the team to a 3-0 clean sweep in the T20I series. Later that month, he was included in South Africa’s squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, despite not having played a T20I before.

In November 2020, Maharaj was selected for South Africa’s limited-overs squad against England. Over the next few years, he continued to establish himself as a key player. On February 27, 2023, he signed with Middlesex as an overseas player for the County Championship and the Vitality T20 Blast, but an Achilles tendon injury forced him to withdraw.

In March 2023, he ruptured his Achilles tendon during a match against the West Indies. However, he made a quicker-than-expected recovery and was included in South Africa’s squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. As the team’s lead spinner, he played a crucial role, generating turn, drift, and bounce while maintaining an economy rate of just 4.15, making him one of the most economical bowlers in the tournament. He also made key contributions with the bat, including a vital last-wicket partnership with Tabraiz Shamsi that secured victory against Pakistan in Chennai. During the World Cup, he climbed to the top of the ICC ODI bowling rankings in November 2023.

In early 2024, he played for Fortune Barishal in the Bangladesh Premier League. In May 2024, he was named in South Africa’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Maharaj was also part of South Africa’s squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where the team reached the semi-finals but fell short of making the final. However, in the IPL 2025 player auction, he went unsold.

(As of May 2025)