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'Realizing The Difference' - Dale Steyn On Forgettable IPL Debut For MI's Kwena Maphaka

Kwena Maphaka on his IPL debut (X.com)Kwena Maphaka on his IPL debut (X.com)

Every cricketer dreams of making a memorable impact on their debut game. Batsmen aspire to score a half-century or century, while bowlers aim for a hat-trick or fifer. When Kwena Maphaka was handed the cap before the toss tonight in Hyderabad, he too would have harbored similar aspirations. However, the match didn't unfold quite as the player would have hoped.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, coming off a loss in their previous game, came out with full force against Mumbai Indians. Kwena Maphaka made a promising start, conceding only seven runs in his first over with Mayank Agarwal and Travis Head at the crease.

However, his second and third overs proved to be forgettable moments for the player. Travis Head managed to score 20 runs off one over, hitting two fours and two sixes, despite scoring only two runs off the first two balls.

The player was reintroduced into the attack in the tenth over of the game. However, this time it was not Travis Head but Abhishek Sharma who inflicted misery upon him. Sharma began by hitting a boundary off the first delivery, immediately putting pressure back on the bowler. Once again, 20 runs were scored in that over, taking the total to 148 runs.

After being touted as one of the best players in the U-19 circuit, a lot of expectations were placed on the southpaw. However, things did not unfold as he had hoped. Posting about the same, South African cricket legend Dale Steyn remarked that the U-19 level is vastly different from professional leagues like the Indian Premier League.

“Maphaka realizing the difference between U19 and the PRO league. Baptism of fire.” Dale Steyn wrote on X.