Lungi Ngidi

A tall, striking right-arm fast bowler hailing from South Africa, Lungi Ngidi is the perfect partner to Kagiso Rabada to lead the Proteas pace attack. Ngidi can consistently touch speeds of around 140 kmph while moving the ball both ways and also has a great bouncer in him. Ngidi represented his college, Hilton, in Rugby before focusing on cricket. He graduated and then enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Industrial Sociology at the University of Pretoria.

Ngidi made his T20 debut for the Northerns in 2015 and picked up three wickets. He was seen as a potential T20 player after finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. The following year, he made his first-class debut and also played his first List-A game. After seeing his performances, he was promoted to the Titans team, where he played in the 2015-16 domestic T20 final, which they won, and helped them successfully defend it the following season.

Ngidi made his T20I debut in 2017 against Sri Lanka, where he picked up a couple of wickets and was the player of the match. He was also added to the ODI squad but was ruled out due to an abdominal injury. In 2018, he made his Test debut against India after coming in as an injury replacement for Dale Steyn, picked up a six-wicket haul in the second innings, and was awarded the man of the match. His pace and accuracy impressed everyone, and he also perfectly set up Virat Kohli. He played his first ODI in the same series as well.

In 2019, he was added to the South African squad for the World Cup. The following year, in the second ODI against Australia, he picked up his maiden five-wicket haul and also became the fastest South African bowler to take 50 ODI wickets, completing that in 26 matches. Ngidi also took a stand for his team to support the “Black Lives Matter” movement. In 2021, he was named to the South Africa team for the World T20, and the same happened in 2022. Ngidi took his first five-wicket haul in T20Is against England in 2021. Ngidi has cemented his place in the national team with consistent performances in all three formats.

Ngidi was bought by Chennai for the 2018 Indian T20 League. He enjoyed a good season, picking up 11 wickets in nine matches. He performed well for the team and stayed with them until 2021, winning the title twice too. However, in 2022 he moved to Delhi, and they retained him for the following season as well. 

In July 2022, Lungi Ngidi blazed into the T20I scene, snatching his first-ever five-wicket haul in the series opener against England. Despite his previous achievements, Lungi Ngidi was named as a reserve player in South Africa’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament.

Lungi Ngidi has also made his mark in franchise tournaments around the world. He represents Paarl Royals in the SA20 League and Seattle Orcas in USA’s Major League Cricket. In 2025, the Bengaluru franchise picked him up for INR 1 crore. However, injuries have often kept him from being a regular inclusion in the team, but he remains an important part of the South Africa squad.