South Africa players contribution in IPL and in 2022  

The league has seen notable performances from Proteas. IPL franchises have never feared shredding huge amounts of the cricketers from Africa. AB de Villers was bought for USD 1.5 million in 2011 to buying Chris Morris in 2021 for INR 16.25 crore and now Kagiso Rabada for INR 9.25 crore, Proteas have always enjoyed significant bids from the franchises.

This year's IPL auction featured 33 South African stars, out of which 10 of them were sold out. Out of these 10 T20 cricketers, two were sold to the Delhi Capitals, two to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and one to Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Mumbai Indians each.

Many South African players have consistently performed for their respective franchises in this year's IPL. The players, too, understand their importance in IPL. Hence, some key players, namely Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen, and Anrich Nortje, collectively decided to be unavailable for the two Tests against Bangladesh and flew to India for IPL.

Proteas adding flair to the tournament

Quinton De Kock has already shown imperious form. He produced a marvelous inning of 80 runs off just 50 balls, resulting in Lucknow Super Giants outplaying Delhi Capitals in a recent match. His knock led the team to their third successive win in the debut IPL season. Eventually, he was awarded Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.

The 18-year-old uncapped player of South Africa, Dewald Brevis, is believed to be a prodigy cricketer and is fondly known as "Baby Ab De Villiers" as his stance and batting style resemble Ab De Villiers a lot. Dewald Brevis was the highest run-scorer in the U-19 world cup held in January- February 2022. This year he's representing Mumbai Indians and was bought for a whopping amount of INR 3 crore as many other teams were also interested in purchasing this young talent. His IPL debut was on April 6, 2022, against Kolkata Knight Riders; In that match, he played a small but sensational inning of 29 runs in 19 balls which left a lot of impact on the match. He performed up to the expectation, and we can expect even better innings from him in the upcoming future.

Pace battery Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are expected to give quality performances for their respective franchises. They are marquee players and have produced unbelievable performances for Delhi Capitals in previous seasons. Anrich Nortje was retained by Delhi Capitals, whereas Punjab Kings picked Kagiso Rabada for INR 9.25 crore in mega-auctions. Anrich Nortje's performance in the previous match against Lucknow Super Giants was not up to the mark due to his recent recovery from injury. Still, it will gradually improve as the season progresses.

The most significant and vital role is given to former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis, who is leading Royal Challengers Bangalore this season as Virat Kohli stepped down from the role of captaincy for RCB. He has been leading the team exceptionally well as Royal Challengers Bangalore has won three of their four matches this season and is giving a good performance from his bat as well.

Aside from the players, several South Africans are imparting their knowledge off the field as well. Dale Steyn, a fast-bowling legend who resigned from international cricket last year, returned to his previous IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad as their bowling coach. Former South African star batter, Gary Kirsten, is the batting coach and instructor for the new franchise Gujarat Titans. Jonty Rhodes continues his services as the fielding coach for the Punjab Kings. In contrast, fitness guru Paddy Upton is the strength and conditioning coach for the Rajasthan Royals this season.

The influence of South African players in the IPL is increasing every year. A more significant number of Proteas now register for the IPL auction every year. Players like Ab de Villiers and Faf du Plessis treat India as their second home, and they have an unmatched loyal following in the country, which is even more than many known Indian cricketers. Their legacy is being carried on by players like Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada, who have also earned quite a fame in the country with their extravagant performances in successive seasons.