Who Is Lhuan-Dre Pretorius? Rajasthan Royals Sign Uncapped South African Cricketer For Injured Nitish Rana

Rajasthan Royals have announced the signing of rising South African star Lhuan-dre Pretorius as a replacement for Nitish Rana, who has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2025 due to injury. The 19-year-old who plays sister team Paarl Roayals in SA 2020 will join the Royals squad for a contract fee of ₹30 lakh.

Rana missed the Royals' previous clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens and has now been ruled out. The left-hander played a match-winning knock of 81 off 36 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but had mediocre returns in the rest of the games. Rana had scored 217 runs in 11 innings for the Royals. Local Rajasthan boy, Kunal Rathore, replaced Rana in the last game but looked out of sorts against Moeen Ali's off-spin.

Who is Lhuan-Dre Pretorius?

Pretorius is a hard-hitting left-handed opener and a wicketkeeper. He recently topped the run-scoring charts in SA20 2025, amassing 397 runs at a blistering strike rate of 166.80 in 12 matches. His standout performance came in a commanding 51-ball 97 for the Paarl Royals against Sunrisers Eastern Cape, widely regarded as one of the tournament’s most explosive innings.

🇿🇦 Fearless. Power-packed. Royal!

You’ve seen him in Pink — and you’ll see him soon in IPL 2025. 🔥

Lhuan dre Pretorius steps in for Nitish Rana, who’s healing from a calf injury. Speedy recovery, Nitish bhai! 💗 pic.twitter.com/B2JzFUlKZo

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 8, 2025

Though yet to make his senior international debut, Pretorius is no stranger to high-pressure tournaments. He was South Africa’s top scorer in the 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup and has since attracted attention from teams around the world. Following his SA20 heroics, he earned his first county cricket opportunity with Hampshire for the 2025 Vitality Blast.

Rajasthan Royals look to close the season on high

The Royals are currently in ninth position with two games left, away against CSK on May 12 and at home against the Punjab Kings on May 16. The Royals were the second team to get eliminated from the tournament following a disastrous campaign. Regular skipper Sanju Samson who suffered a rib injury is yet to take the field.

Stand in skipper Riyan Parag has failed to lit up the tournament with his bat on consistent basis, while the team has also struggled to close out on matches which were within their grasp.