He has played only two seasons of the IPL so far.
Zimbabwe’s T20I skipper Sikandar Raza is on a roll in the ongoing SA20 2026, representing the Rajasthan Royals’ sister franchise, Paarl Royals. In his debut season of South Africa’s premier T20 league, the all-rounder has bagged a total of 11 wickets in just four matches, at a miraculous economy of 4.93.
The player has been continuing a great run with the ball so far. But Raza’s lone heroics, coupled with skipper David Miller’s fightback, were not enough to earn the Royals their fourth win of the edition. After opting to bat first, two Caribbean players’ composed knocks guided the Pretoria Capitals to 138/9 in a low-scoring affair.
Sherfane Rutherford carried on with his purple patch to top score with an unbeaten 42 off 35, including three fours and sixes apiece. Last fixture’s centurion Shai Hope also contributed a timely 22 at the top. Meanwhile, Raza highlighted the Royals’ bowling efforts, snaring two scalps in his four-over quota, conceding just 13 runs.
The other two bowlers of the side, Hardus Viljoen and Dan Lawrence, also bagged two each but at an expensive economy of 12.50 and 9.50, respectively. However, none of the Paarl batters managed to accelerate the innings while chasing the low total. Youngsters Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Asa Tribe failed to provide a solid start.
Rubin Hermann’s 35 was the only notable knock before a late surge from Miller to accumulate 45 off 36. Eventually, a team effort from the Capitals’ bowlers, spearheaded by captain Keshav Maharaj, ensured a 21-run victory over the Royals. This also saw them eclipse Miller and Co. to claim the third spot in the SA20 2026 points table.
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The all-rounder has not been very effective with the willow, scoring only 11 runs in two SA20 2026 innings. But Raza’s current bowling form could have made him a great prospect for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises ahead of the upcoming season.
But following the IPL 2025 mega auction, the 39-year-old once again failed to earn a bid for the next edition of the cash-rich league. Previously, he had put up 182 runs and scalped three wickets in nine matches for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) across two seasons in IPL 2023 and IPL 2024.
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