He was bought by KKR for INR 6.5 crores at the IPL 2025 auction.
Defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) faces a pressing concern ahead of the next season (IPL 2025) with a star overseas pacer getting sidelined due to a fractured toe.
Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was bought by the three-time winners at last month’s IPL 2025 auction for INR 6.5 crores, will now miss the ongoing T20I series and the following three-match ODI series against Pakistan.
The 31-year-old had to sit out of yesterday’s (December 11) series opener as he injured his left big toe while training before the match. Further scans later showed that the bowler had fractured his left toe.
Nortje, meanwhile, has not represented South Africa since the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 earlier in June, where he was his team’s top wicket-taker with 15 wickets. He has also decided to forgo a national contract with South Africa due to concerns about managing his workload.
Nortje’s injury worsened South Africa’s fast bowler crisis as he became the fifth pacer to be sidelined due to injury. Gerald Coetzee is dealing with a groin issue, while Nandre Burger is recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back. Lungi Ngidi is nursing a hip injury, and Wiaan Mulder, who was ruled out following the first Test against Sri Lanka, is out with a broken finger.
The SA vs PAK ODI series is scheduled to begin on December 17, just three days after the conclusion of the T20I matches.
Notably, this series will be South Africa’s final bilateral series before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. They will also face Pakistan and New Zealand in a tri-series, though this will take place near the end of the third season of the SA20 next year.
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