“Never washing my hands again” – School kids in awe after interacting with Rajasthan Royals pacer in South Africa [Watch]

South Africa’s latest pace sensation Kwena Maphaka was swarmed by his young fans recently. The 18-year-old, donning a Rajasthan Royals jersey, interacted with schoolchildren, and a video of the same was uploaded to social media.

Maphaka, who made his Test debut earlier this year, featured for the Paarl Royals in the recently concluded SA20 2025. The pacer played in nine games throughout the tournament, picking up six wickets at an economy of 9.51. The Paarl Royals crashed out in the second qualifier, losing to eventual champions MI Cape Town by 39 runs.

Following the match, a few kids spotted Maphaka in a park. The young fans shouted his name and quickly approached him. In a video uploaded by Rajasthan Royals, his new IPL franchise, on X, the 18-year-old stood, shook hands and interacted with the kids. One of them exclaimed:

Rajasthan Royals acquired Maphaka for ₹1.30 crore in November during the IPL Mega Auction. His services saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the IPL’s inaugural champions engage in a bidding war, with the Royals eventually coming out on top.

Maphaka could feature for South Africa in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy

Kwena Maphaka might have an outside chance of making it to South Africa’s squad for the upcoming tri-series in Pakistan and the Champions Trophy that follows soon after. The 18-year-old could replace either Anrich Nortje, who was ruled out due to a back injury, or Gerald Coetzee, who had to be withdrawn from the squad owing to groin issues.

Maphaka recently made his debut in ODIs and Tests against Pakistan. While he picked up three wickets in two innings on his Test debut, Maphaka has picked up five wickets in ODIs, with his best figures reading 4/72 in 10 overs.…Read more by Lavil Saldanha