Nortje buzzing with LSG deal and renewed rhythm by his side

Anrich Nortje learned that he would be joining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) just as he was wrapping up a pre-match press conference before South Africa's fourth T20I against India in Lucknow. The Lucknow Super Giants picked up Nortje for his base price of INR 2 crore (approximately US$220,000) at Tuesday's IPL mini-auction.

Nortje's move to LSG marks a change from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he played in two matches last season. Reacting to the news, Nortje expressed his happiness about seeing more of the Ekana Stadium. "This is news to me," Nortje said. "I'll see you guys soon then. I'm very happy."

The IPL deal follows a challenging year for Nortje, who has played only 13 matches in 2025. Before this series, he had been absent from international cricket for 17 months. After a back injury in October 2024, he was sidelined until May 2025, which caused him to miss both the SA20 and the Champions Trophy. After two IPL 2025 matches, a recurrent stress reaction kept him out of action for nearly six months. He returned to domestic cricket last month with the Dolphins, where he gained consistent playing time. This comeback led to his international recall, though he is yet to take a wicket.

In the first T20I series match in Cuttack, Nortje's four overs conceded 41 runs, as he struggled to find his rhythm, despite maintaining speeds close to 150kph. He was rested for the match in new Chandigarh. He then had a better return of 0 for 14 in three overs in Dharamsala, where the only boundary he conceded came off an edge from Shubman Gill. Nortje showed improved comfort and discipline at the highest level, again reaching top speeds.

Nortje said, "It's nice to be back, I really missed it and really enjoying my time here. I'm sort of happy with the progress. There's still a lot of cricket to play. For me, it's just to try and focus game by game, day by day, and just try and get better every day but I've really been enjoying the time back and it's been great to be with the team."

This South Africa assignment marks Nortje's first under all-format coach Shukri Conrad. Conrad had considered Nortje for a Test comeback last summer when Gerald Coetzee was injured against Sri Lanka. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. Nortje, who is no longer nationally contracted by his own choice, was then also sidelined with a niggle. Now, he finds the environment under Conrad welcoming, fun, and focused on playing with freedom, much like Quinton de Kock's return.

Nortje said, "With a new coach and how he's been going about things, it seems to be going really well. I'm happy to be here. The team's been doing unbelievably well the last year or two. There's some fresh faces, there's some old faces and guys have been sort of on the fringes for a while, are getting to play more cricket more consistently. Coming in and seeing how basic they keep things, trying to be as basic as possible, let the moment play out, assess on the park what to do. Guys are jamming really well, getting along very well, and everyone knows their role in the team. And I think that's very important."

Under Conrad, South Africa has focused on creating squad depth and adopting a horses-for-courses selection approach, widening the pool of national players. This approach led to Nortje's consideration when Coetzee was injured. It also explains why Nortje will not play every match in the current series as South Africa seeks its best T20I bowling combination.

Nortje said, "Hopefully I can be in the squad but if not, for me it's just to try and focus game by game, day by day, and just try and get better."

Regarding the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Nortje commented, "There's a lot of competition as well, which creates opportunity and also creates a little bit of pressure for guys in the team, which is good. It's what you want. That's something that's built up over the last year or two and it just puts guys under pressure, and a lot of guys have to fight for a spot, which is great. All in all, it's just a lot of things coming together."

Nortje is one of six seamers in the current T20 squad, along with Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman, Lutho Sipamla, and allrounders Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch. The injured Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, and Nandre Burger, along with Coetzee and Lizaad Williams, further bolster South Africa's pace options, creating a selection challenge for the T20 World Cup squad. Nortje, who was a standout performer in the 2024 edition, would likely be a strong contender if fit, but he remains cautious.

"We go back into SA20 as well, which is quite a few games back-to-back, so I'm just trying to focus on every game and improve as much as I can, but obviously be realistic as well. So far I've been really happy with the progress," he said. "Hopefully I can be in the squad but if not, for me it's just to try and focus game by game, day by day, and just try and get better."

Nortje will represent Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in this year's SA20, after previously playing for Pretoria Capitals (PC) for the first three seasons.