Rajasthan Royals (RR)batter Nitish Rana has been ruled out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 due to an injury. The franchise has roped in South African wicketkeeper-batter Lhuan-dre Pretorius as his replacement for the final two matches of their campaign.
The Royals, who are already out of the playoff race, have had an underwhelming season. Ranaās exit has added to their woes as the team looks to salvage some pride in their remaining league stage fixtures against Chennai Super Kings on May 12 and Punjab Kings on May 16.
The 31-year-old southpaw featured in 11 matches this season for the Royals, scoring 217 runs at a strike rate of 161.94. He notched up two half-centuries, including the highest score of 81. Rana struggled with fitness toward the latter half of the season, with stand-in captain Riyan Parag having earlier pointed at the player’s injury after he was left out of the squad against Kolkata Knight Riders.
South African Lhuan-dre Pretorius signed as replacement
Meanwhile, RR have turned to their sister franchise Paarl Royals’ standout performer from the SA20 league, 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius. The left-handed opening batter and wicketkeeper, Pretorius, has been one of South Africaās most promising young talents. Notably, he will join the Royals for his base price of INR 30 lakh.
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35Pretorius grabbed eyeballs during SA20 2025 with a 97-run knock on debut, stitching a 132-run partnership with Joe Root. He finished as the tournamentās top run-scorer, hammering 397 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 166.8. Across 33 T20s, he has scored 911 runs, with a top score of 97.
The youngster also has an impressive domestic career, including a match-winning 114 in the CSA 4-Day Series final, and was South Africaās leading run-scorer at the 2024 U-19 World Cup. With many Rajasthan batters struggling with form, the South African batter could get a chance in the playing XI in the upcoming game.
