He recently starred for Worcestershire in One-Day Cup semi-final.
The SA20 Auction 2026 witnessed some records being shattered, with Dewald Brevis becoming the most expensive player in the league. It also unearthed some lesser-known players such as Daniel Lategan and Asa Tribe, among others.
The Mumbai Indians’ sister franchise, MI Cape Town, acquired Lategan for R400,000 – double the base price. It was quite telling how much they rated the 19-year-old when they had the paddle up even before his name was called up. MICT had to fight Paarl Royals, but eventually got the player their scouts wanted.
Born in Cape Town, Lategan doesn’t have a great amount of experience in senior professional cricket. But if Mumbai Indians are willing to double his base price, there has to be special talent. And by the looks of it, Lategan seems to have it in abundance.
His cricketing journey is a lot like many African and European cricketers, who find a home in England with some other County. Lategan signed an Under-15 contract with the Worcestershire academy and made rapid strides through the Second XI side. In July this year, he was handed a three-year deal by the County team.
Lategan immediately showed glimpses of his talent on his senior level debut, with 42 off 39 against Derbyshire in the One-Day Cup. He registered his maiden fifty in the clash against Surrey, hitting 54 off 50 as they chased down 269 with ease.
The left-hand batter backed it up with another fine performance in the semi-final versus Somerset to power Worcestershire to the final. He top-scored with 78 off 82 as they posted 275 and clinched the game by 131 runs on the DLS method.
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The SA20 franchises were required to sign two Under-23 players for the 2026 edition as per the regulations. Dan Lategan was one of the U23 signings for MI Cape Town.
His chances of getting an opportunity in the playing XI look slim at the moment. MICT have a stacked top order with the likes of Ryan Rickelton, Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, and Nicholas Pooran. If he gets in, he would most likely have to bat out of his preferred position.
However, the management rates Lategan despite not having a large sample size. He looks pretty compact at the crease and has a good range of shots, including reverse sweeps against spinners.
His ceiling is high, especially in white-ball formats. Even if he doesn’t get into the playing XI, just spending time with other T20 superstars would help his development further. Who knows, he might don the South Africa jersey one day.
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