He has scalped 11 wickets in seven matches so far.
The fourth edition of South Africa’s premier T20 league has witnessed a new speedster in the making. The Paarl Royals’ SA20 2026 prodigy, who made the headlines after a stunning display in his debut season so far, has opened up on his inspiration and future ambitions.
The bowler has established himself as a decent death bowling option for the Royals in his limited appearance in the SA20 2026 so far. He revealed drawing inspiration from the current pace greats Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah to refine his skills.
“I’m excited to open the bowling as a youngster and close it off as well. I’ve been watching a lot of cricket and I see the best bowlers in the world, like Jasprit Bumrah and Rabada, do really well at the death. So I want to try and be the best death bowler in the world,” said Mokoena to ESPN Cricinfo.
The 19-year-old also spoke about his teammate, Ottneil Baartman, sharing his insights with the budding seamer. Notably, Baartman is currently at the peak of the SA20 2026 bowling chart, snaring 17 wickets in just six matches of the league.
“We’re always chatting about game plans and he’s been helping me a lot. We’re quite close. He just told me to keep doing what I’m doing right now and take care of my body and my health and I should be fine. Things will just happen after that if I just keep doing what I’m doing,” he added.
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The young pacer did not have a memorable outing in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024 due to injuries — the edition, where his fellow seamer Kwena Maphaka snared 21 wickets in six matches to become the top wicket-taker of the tournament.
Mokoena’s stats from the CSA T20 Challenge 2025 were also not promising, as he managed only three wickets in five matches at a 10-plus economy rate. But he has completely been a different bowler in the SA20 2026, claiming 11 scalps in seven matches, at an economy of 9.57.
His heroics also include a four-wicket haul against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Mokoena also discussed his bowling strategies at the Royal’s home ground, Boland Park. The pacer stated that his experience of playing domestic cricket in the venue has helped him adapt to the conditions in the slowest track of the SA20 2026.
“You have let your ego go down and use your skills more. If you come in with pace, you travel [get hit], so you have to use your skills nicely and be able to adapt,” opined the youngster.
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