Kwena Maphaka

Kwena Tshegofatso Maphaka (born 8 April 2006) is a South African cricketer. He is primarily a left-arm medium-fast bowler. He played for the South African team in the Under-19 World Cup, where in the semi-final he took 3 wickets for 32 runs in 10 overs against India. He made his debut with Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024.

Career
In June 2023, South Africa A toured Sri Lanka for two First-class and three List A matches. Maphaka was not named in the initial squad, but then he replaced the injured Lutho Sipamla. Soon, he made his first-class debut in the first unofficial test match on 12 June 2023, at the age of 17. He took 2 wickets in the first innings and scalped the wicket of Sri Lanka A's captain in the second innings.

In December 2023, he was named in South Africa national under-19 squad for the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. In the first match against West Indies, he took a match winning five-wicket haul, for which he got the player of the match award. Maphaka shined for South Africa in the Super six stage, as he took five-wicket and six-wicket hauls against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka respectively. He took a record three five-wicket hauls in the tournament, highest by any player in a single Under-19 World Cup tournament. He then went on to take 3 wickets against India in the semi-finals in a losing cause. Maphaka ended his campaign with 21 wickets(second most in a single tournament) at an average of 9.71.

Domestic career
Maphaka made his List A debut on 6 October 2023 during the Division 2 of the 2023 CSA One-Day Cup. He played for the South Africa Emerging Players side against Limpopo, he took 3 wickets to help his side win the match. South Africa Emerging won the division 2 final against Free State Knights, Maphaka had a tough day as he conceded 65 runs without taking a wicket.

In August 2023, Maphaka was signed by Paarl Royals for the 2023–24 SA20 season.

In March 2024, he was named as a replacement for the injured Dilshan Madushanka in the Mumbai Indians' squad for the 2024 Indian Premier League.