He plays for Kent in the Vitality Blast.
With the number of T20 leagues rising on the global stage, the amount of players coming up the ranks is escalating at a brisk rate. The leagues do not just provide senior players a chance to stay in touch with the game. The importance of these rising leagues plays a massive role in the careers of budding youngsters. It has become extremely convenient to keep a track of the youngsters doing well around the globe. These leagues act like a pedestal in the careers of many players, giving them a chance to showcase their skills on the big stage. One such cricketer, who has been doing the rounds in England’s domestic circuit is Tawanda Muyeye.
The 24-year-old regularly plays for Kent in England’s domestic cricket. He has been one of their mainstays in the last couple of years, and has scored a good amount of runs. With the IPL (Indian Premier League) 2026 auctions on the cards, Muyeye might be on the cusp of an IPL contract on the back of his performances in The Blast as well as The Hundred. He is a top-order batter and recently scored a valiant 59 for the Oval Invincibles to help them script a victory against the Manchester Originals.
The Invincibles were chasing a par total of 129 against the Originals. Muyeye walked out to open with Will Jacks and scored an unbeaten 59. Moreover, the opening partnership lasted for 114 runs, which sealed the game for the team. The Invincibles, doing complete justice to their name, are yet to be beaten in this edition of The Hundred.
The 24-year-old was born in Zimbabwe, and spent most of his childhood near Harare. He captained the Zimbabwe national side at the U13 as well as the U16 levels. He also indulged in rugby, before earning a scholarship to Eastbourne College in England. To give an insight into his skill, Muyeye was included as a reserve in Zimbabwe’s U19 squad for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in 2018. He as just 15 years then.
The right-handed batter came to England with his mother, after being an asylum seeker. He was granted an indefinite leave to remain and get settled in the United Kingdom. Since then, Muyeye has never looked back. He has openly expressed his ambition of playing international cricket for England. Playing cricket at the highest level is what he considers a dream, and hopes to achieve it someday.
At Eastbourne College, he scored 1,112 runs in his very first season which comprised 56 sixes. Both these numbers were records for the college. His performances that season included two double hundreds, and he went on to register massive numbers in the leagues. For this, Muyeye was named as the Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year in 2020. Some of the finest English players including Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler are on the same list.
While he was at Eastbourne, Muyeye played for the U17 and the second XI sides for Sussex before he signed a professional contract with Kent in 2021. In 2023, the same contract was renewed for a period of three years. Since then, Muyeye has showcased blistering performances including a double-century against Worcestershire in August 2024. In 2023, he was also selected as a wildcard player by his team in The Hundred. He signed for the Melbourne Renegades as a replacement for the injured Laurie Evans in the 2024/25 season.
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Tawanda Muyeye’s numbers highlight his impressive game in domestic cricket. In 38 First-class appearances, he has scored 2173 runs at an average of almost 34. To add to that, he holds three centuries and 12 fifties to his name. The impressive numbers carry on into the T20 format. In 56 T20 games, he has scored 1314 runs with a strike rate of 141.59, which is pretty impressive. Moreover, he holds a ton and nine fifties against his name in the shortest format of the game, a record which speaks volumes about his potential.
In the Vitality Blast alone, he has featured for Kent in 48 matches, scoring 1186 runs at an average of almost 143. His best season is the ongoing one, in which he has gathered 516 runs in 14 matches so far for Kent. On the previous two occasions, he was not able to cross the 300-run barrier despite playing all 14 games. But this year, things are different with Muyeye and the numbers are showing it.
The right-handed top-order batter can be a good pick for any team who is looking for balance at the top of the order. Though not many teams are looking for balance at the top. Muyeye will prove to be a good player in the IPL, considering his shot selection and game sense. It will have to be seen if any team picks the youngster, but he surely deserves a chance after his exploits in the last year.
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