8 things you need to know about Rajasthan Royals prodigy Lhuan-dre Pretorius
With just a handful of games still to play in IPL 2025, the Rajasthan Royals have announced the signing of South African youngster Lhuan-dre Pretorius as a replacement for the injured Nitish Rana.
Known as a side with a strong focus on youth, the Royals already have one young South African on their books in the form of Kwena Mphaka – who has yet to feature this season. More prominently, however, they are the home of 14-year-old opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who earlier in the season hit a century off 35 balls.
The prospect of Suryavanshi and Pretorius opening the batting together is an enticing one – together they have a combined age of just 33.
But who exactly is Pretorius? What has he achieved already, and what can fans of the Rajasthan Royals expect from their new signing? Let’s take a look at eight things you never knew about Lhuan-dre Pretorius.
1. A dream come true with Paarl Royals
In his debut season of SA20 cricket earlier this year, Pretorius starred for Paarl Royals, calling his selection ‘a dream come true.’ He finished the season not only as the team’s leading run-scorer with 397 runs at 33.08, but as the leading scorer in the whole tournament.
He topped the run-scorers list ahead of established stars like Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, Aiden Markram, Devon Conway and Joe Root. His performances, particularly a sparkling 97 against Sunrisers Eastern Cape, earned him widespread acclaim and established his reputation as one of South Africa’s brightest T20 talents.
That thrilling 97 in Paarl’s win over Sunrisers Eastern Cape was built on 51 balls and included 10 fours and six sixes. Coming in at the top of the order in the Royals’ first game of the season against the two-time defending champions, Pretorius attacked with a mix of crisp drives and explosive pulls, underlining his ability to seize momentum and carry an innings under pressure.
2. Only 19 years old yet already a triple threat
At 19, Pretorius combines serious batting chops with handy off-spin and electric fielding, earning himself the “triple-threat batter” tag from Wisden.
He’s already taken key wickets for the Titans in South Africa’s domestic circuit and has saved countless runs in the field with his athletic ground-fielding, making him a genuine all-round asset. He’s also a very capable wicketkeeper.
3. SA Under-20 star and captaincy credentials
In 2024 Pretorius led the South Africa side to the U19 World Cup, scoring 287 runs in six matches – he scored three half-centuries. South Africa ended the tournament fourth, but when the ICC named their team of the tournament it included both Pretorius and Mphaka amongst the eleven.
Pretorius was named as opening batsman and wicketkeeper in the U20 all-star team. His leadership experience under pressure bodes well for his IPL debut, where he’ll be expected to bat with maturity well beyond his years.
4. Groomed for greatness at school with excellent track record
Pretorius’ roots are in Johannesburg where he came through the system at the elite St. Stithians school. St Stithians has produced several famous international cricketers including Proteas Kagiso Rabada, David Terbrugge, David Rundle and Wiaan Mulder.
Aside from South African internationals New Zealand‘s Grant Elliott, Netherland’s star Billy Stelling and England white-ball player Mike Lumb also attended the school. Other non-cricketing alumni of the prestigious school include rock star Dave Matthews, rugby player Asenathi Ntlabakanye and professional golfer Haydn Porteous.
5. Early strides at domestic level
Pretorius announced himself in domestic One-Day cricket by smashing consecutive hundreds for the Titans: 115 against the Dolphins and 122* versus the Warriors in South Africa’s One-Day Cup.
He became one of only three players in tournament history to record back-to-back List A tons, showcasing his excellent temperament and appetite for big scores. Meanwhile on the First-Class scene he struck a century on debut for the Titans against the warriors.
Commenting on the young star following his early successes, his skipper at the Titans, Neil Brand said: “His batsmanship is on another level, it looks like he’s been playing the game at this level for years. It’s really encouraging and good for cricket in South Africa. I hope they do get him into the national set-up pretty quickly because I think he’s ready.
“His batsmanship in the last couple of days has been incredible to watch. Just the way he’s figured out what the bowlers are trying to do and his plans to combat that have been phenomenal to watch.
“He’s got all the shots, all the talent in the world; he’s really hungry to score runs and hits thousands of balls every week.”
6. Big influences from Joe Root and David Miller
Playing alongside legendary England batsman Joe Root and Proteas finisher David Miller at the Paarl Royals, Pretorius has learned from some of the greats of the game.
While he’s a supremely talented player who knows his own game, things like leadership, match preparation and the mental game are where youngsters learn most from seasoned campaigners. In a week where Virat Kohli was effusive in his praise for the role Mark Boucher played in his early development, Pretorius was able to draw on learnings from Root and Miller in his first experience of franchise cricket.
7. Bowling credentials
Though primarily a batter, Pretorius bowls off-spin at an economy around 4.5 in first-class cricket.
He’s already chipped in with crucial wickets for the Titans, and the Royals will be able to deploy him as an additional bowling option, giving captain Sanju Samson another tactical feather in his cap.
8. Hampshire T20 Blast stint on the horizon
In a sign of growing recognition, Pretorius has been named in the Hampshire squad for England’s T20 Blast this summer.
He’ll join another young South African and IPL star, Dewald Brevis of CSK, in Hampshire’s line-up, giving him exposure to English conditions and high-pressure white-ball cricket ahead of next IPL season.