Lhuan-dre Pretorius just turned a lean tri-series into a statement night: a 35-ball 51 in the Harare final that played a vital role in nearly dragging South Africa to an exceptional chase against New Zealand. It capped a delirious 18 months in which he top-scored for SA at the U19 World Cup, bossed the SA20, smashed 153 on Test debut at 19, and went from a INR 30 lakh IPL replacement signing to a no-brainer IPL 2026 retention for Rajasthan Royals (RR). South Africa’s all-format coach Shukri Conrad’s post-match words underline where Pretorius now sits in their plans for T20 World Cup 2026.
Moved back to the top after a brief middle-order experiment, Pretorius set the tone with 51 off 35 in the tri-series final. South Africa lost a game of millimetres, but the innings reasserted why he’s central to their white-ball future.
“Lhuan-dre Pretorius is one of the bright prospects for South Africa,” Conrad said after the game. “We saw what he has in him with the innings he played today. He had a lean period throughout this tournament, but he’s a classy young cricketer and exciting times lie ahead for him. Young players go through tough times and very often don’t know how to deal with it. But for him to come back in the final and play the way he did gave us a really good foundation.”
And it wasn’t just him. South Africa might have lost the tri-series final, but there’s no doubting that they are on course to build a special white-ball side with the kind of talent coming through.
“The bulk of them would have laid down a marker at some stage during this tournament that they belong at this level and that they want to be a part of this team,” Conrad added. “If today is going to be a yardstick, then it comes to the T20 World Cup, whoever wants to win the tournament is going to have to beat us. I’m very confident going forward. I think we’ve got the makings of a really great side in every format.”
South Africa suddenly have multiple high-ceiling top-order options including Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram shuffling around. Pretorius’ skill-set gives Conrad flexibility:
If SA want an aggressive left-hand opener who can also keep and adapt across phases, Pretorius is a modern-day limited-overs beast who can partner Rickelton or Markram and also bat at one drop if needed, with Brevis floating as the designated finisher or No. 4 accelerator.
And he has the stamp of approval from Markram, the T20I captain already.
“He’s special,” Markram said during the SA20 where Pretorius topped the run charts. “You look at him playing and you know that there’s not a lot of guys who can do those things. I know he actually works really, really hard as well. It’s nice to see someone so young, full of so much talent, but also with a really strong drive to do well. This was just the start of people getting to know who he is and what he’s all about.”
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Rajasthan Royals picked him up for INR 30 lakh in 2025 as a replacement and at the time, many felt it was a bit too early for Pretorius to be in the IPL. Now, with a full SA20, international breakout, and a Test ton in the bag, he’s gone from a punt to a priority retention.
The kicker? If Rajasthan Royals don’t retain him, his next auction price could explode into multi-crore territory. They won’t risk it.
Meanwhile, South Africa see him as a core piece for the T20 World Cup 2026 and they should. With Reeza Hendricks ignored in the T20I squad for the Australia series, the thinking is pretty clear — Pretorius is set to get a long run at the top. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have a INR 30 lakh retention that looks like theft. And the rest of the world is catching up to what the last 18 months have been screaming: Lhuan-dre Pretorius is no longer a prospect. He’s here, he’s legit, and he changes squad math in every format he plays.
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