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MI's IPL 2025 Prodigy Ryan Rickelton Dazzles With Maiden Test Century vs Sri Lanka

Bhargav Dixit

Ryan Rickelton plays a shot. [Source: @ProteasMenCSA/X]Ryan Rickelton plays a shot. [Source: @ProteasMenCSA/X]

There couldn't have been a better way for South Africa batter Ryan Rickelton to celebrate an imminent maiden Indian Premier League stint with a Test century at the earliest opportunity. Although the format in which the milestone has come is entirely different, a maiden international ton can provide ample confidence to any batter.

Ryan Rickelton, who had scored a solitary half-century in his last ten innings for South Africa across a couple of months or so, didn't let go of a chance where he was not only picked as all-rounder Wiaan Mulder's replacement but also handed the No. 3 spot ahead of Tristan Stubbs, who had scored two centuries in his last two Tests at the same position.

Ninth South African batter to cross the three-figure mark since last year's Boxing Day Test, the left-handed batter scored 101 (250), including 11 fours on the first day of the second Test match against Sri Lanka at St. George's Park. 

Furthermore, it speaks highly of the future of South African batting across formats. Regarding the future, Rickelton's latest performance bodes well for Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2025. Having bought him for his base price of INR 1 crore during the mega auction in Jeddah last month, one of the most successful IPL franchises has received instant validation regarding a lesser-known player.

Ryan Rickelton Could Partner Rohit Sharma At The Top In IPL 2025

Rickelton, who found himself in the middle in the second over of the match on Thursday, could well be opening the batting with former Indians captain Rohit Sharma during the 18th season of the biggest T20 competition across the globe next year.

Having opened the batting in 13 out of 30 innings across formats in international cricket, the 28-year-old player has faced the new ball 90 times out of 100 T20 innings. Considering how Mumbai's squad is lined up for the forthcoming season, they could easily accommodate Rickelton at the top even without the Impact Player rule. Assuming the same happens, he will become a like-for-like replacement for wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan.

For the unversed, Rickelton also represents MI Cape Town in SA20. The highest scorer (third-highest overall) for them across the first two seasons, his 676 runs have come at an average and strike rate of 42.25 and 155.76, respectively. Just two runs short of a maiden SA20 century, his best performance in the tournament saw him become part of a record partnership.