Anrich Nortje

His rise came through domestic and A-team cricket. He toured India with South Africa A, and in the 2018-2019 season he collected 24 wickets in the four-day Franchise competition. Injuries soon became a recurring theme. An ankle problem forced him out partway through the 2018 MSL T20, and although he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in early 2019, a shoulder injury cut short his first IPL opportunity with Kolkata. That same injury also cost him a place in South Africa's 2019 Cricket World Cup squad, even though he had already landed a lucrative IPL deal before playing international cricket.

Once fit again, he made his Test debut against India in late 2019 and claimed his first five-wicket Test haul against England in 2020. He was named in South Africa's squads for the T20 World Cups of 2021 and 2022, but injury kept him out of the 2023 World Cup. He made up for it at the 2024 T20 World Cup, finishing as his side's top wicket-taker with 15 wickets from 9 matches as South Africa reached the final and ended as runners-up.

In the IPL, Nortje first played for the Delhi Capitals in 2020, taking 22 wickets in 16 games. Together with Rabada he drove Delhi to the final, which they lost to the Mumbai Indians. The next season he played the UAE leg and returned 12 wickets in 8 matches with an economy rate of 6.16. Delhi kept him as one of four retained players before the 2022 mega auction, but his returns dipped and he was released at the end of the three-year cycle. Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for INR 6.5 crore at the 2025 auction, yet a recurring back injury limited him to two appearances that year. Lucknow Super Giants then picked him up at his base price of INR 2 crore at the 2026 auction.