He has already built an impressive resume playing in T20 leagues.
25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Chris Benjamin, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa but holds an English passport through his father is one of the exciting sensations to keep an eye out for in the upcoming SA20 2025.
Bought by Mumbai Indians’ (MI) SA20 franchise MI Cape Town for R175,000 (approx 8 lakhs in INR) ahead of last season, Benjamin first came under the spotlight for his breakout performances in the inaugural season of The Hundred in 2021.
However, he has yet to feature in any SA20 game but given his swift climb up the ranks and his tremendous potential, MI chose to retain him for the new edition, starting from January 9.
Holding a British passport allowed him to qualify as a local player in English domestic cricket. In 2018, he relocated to the UK to pursue studies and secured a trial with Warwickshire.
He signed a rookie contract with Warwickshire during the second half of the 2021 season. Later that summer, Benjamin impressed with a century on his Championship debut, scoring 127 against Lancashire.
The top-order batter also underlined his ambitions to become a multi-format player and made his List A debut the same year, scoring a half-century the day before his Hundred debut.
Earlier this year during the Second XI tournament, Benjamin showcased his flair in red-ball cricket with a stellar knock of 227 runs, comprising a staggering 23 boundaries. He finished the tournament as the third-highest run-scorer with 750 runs in 8 games, averaging at a stellar 57.69.
He boasts of impressive stats in domestic cricket, with 260 runs in 11 games in List A while maintaining an average of 37.14. In FC, the dynamic right-hander has amassed 539 runs in 24 innings with a highest score of 127.
He decided to move away from Warwickshire and joined Kent last year in September on a three-year contract.
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Chris Benjamin, with his ability to score quickly against spin and pull off monstrous shots with sheer power, made an instant impression with a quickfire 60 on his full T20 debut in the Vitality Blast in 2021.
His performance had impressed England all-rounder Moeen Ali so much that he recommended Benjamin as a last-minute replacement in the first season of The Hundred.
Playing for the Birmingham Phoenix, he starred on his debut with a match-winning 24 not out off 15.
In T20 Blast, Benjamin has amassed 753 runs so far in 42 innings, while hitting at a strike rate close to 150.
In the shortest format overall, Benjamin has played 69 matches with almost 1k runs in his kitty, which includes three half-centuries.
While a national dream could be realised in due time, Chris Benjamin has already built an impressive resume playing in T20 leagues and can soon become a sought-after name in franchise cricket across the world.
The future looks promising for Chris Benjamin with a potential IPL contract on the horizon if he manages to continue his impressive display. Being already associated with MI gives him a slight edge, given that the Reliance Industries-owned franchise has a reputation for giving Proteas youngsters opportunities.
His performance in the SA20 2025 will thus be crucial in getting more prominent gigs going ahead.
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