Maphaka has watched that IPL debut four times, now eyes wide open he’s going back

Kwena Maphaka has watched his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut four times.

Given the outcome that Wednesday night in March, some might view it as an exercise in self-torture.

Maphaka opened the bowling for the Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and conceded 66 runs in four overs, 58 of which came via boundaries.

Dale Steyn tweeted a brusque note about the difference between junior cricket and what the grown-ups play. Vernon Philander said Maphaka was thrown to the wolves. AB de Villiers wishes he hadn’t been exposed so early.

However, Maphaka’s perspective now, eight months later, is more analytical.

“The IPL experience was tough but at the same time really good,” the 18-year-old said.

He wasn’t scarred by it, which is admirable, because he’s going back next year. Unlike Mumbai, who took him on in the middle of the tournament after one of their bowlers picked up an injury, in 2025 Maphaka will go back to the IPL a full member of the Rajasthan Royals squad for a princely price tag of R3.23m.

“A lot worse things could have happened,” he said about his debut. “Being under the pump, and short of form, is not the greatest thing to happen, (but it) gave me an understanding of my own game a little bit more. You  also understand how the league works and hopefully next year I can take the lessons from this year, apply them and I can be better.”

Maphaka felt it was important to watch that spell again, even if four times sounds like a lot. “I’m done watching it back now, I’ve got all the information I want out of it,” he said. “It is something that could happen to other cricketers, but I’m mentally strong enough to not let it scar me and work through it as a learning experience rather than a massacre.”

“It’s really good to go back, watch games, to see what you’ve done right and what you’ve done wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s the best game of your life or the worst, and try to understand your game as best as you can to know what worked and what didn't in different conditions.”

Maphaka has some more pressing issues to manage before then — one, is his final matric exam paper which he’ll complete at St Stithians this week. That is its own form of torture, but one, like his bowling, that he has carefully managed.

Even with the unexpected call-up to the IPL earlier this year, which was followed by selection for the Proteas, Maphaka explained that he and his parents had crafted a schedule that ensured there was sufficient balance between his schoolbooks and net sessions.

“There is a Four-Day game for the Lions that I was hoping to play, but it is two days after I finish exams, I’m not too sure if I will be ready for that,” he mused.

Even if he isn't, the Lions won’t mind. The province’s head coach Russell Domingo has stated emphatically that Maphaka’s education is the priority, a sentiment shared by the Proteas coaching staff.

But the next big event follows in January when Maphaka will be one of the faces of Season 3 of the SA20 as a member of the Paarl Royals — Rajasthan’s local partner. He signed for them a year ago but didn’t play as the Royals agreed to release him for the under-19 World Cup, in which he was named player of the tournament.

“We have been speaking quite a bit,” he said of the Royals. “My main role is to open the bowling; they’ve picked me for a reason, they see something that they want to use.”

He is taking his elevated status in his stride. It hasn’t affected his performances on the field, and even with the extra pressure of exams, he was still one of the Lions’ top performers in their defence of the T20 Challenge title last month. 

“Someone needs to be in the limelight, or be the face of something, and if it has to be me then I don’t really dislike it, though I don’t like it too much either,” he said.

“It is very weird seeing my face on posters, but I’m getting used to it.”