Anrich Nortje had barely wrapped up his pre-match chat with the press in Lucknow, ahead of South Africa’s fourth T20I against India, when someone slipped him the news: Lucknow Super Giants had just bought him at the IPL mini-auction. The fast bowler laughed, shook his head, and said, “This is news to me… I’ll see you guys soon then. I’m very happy.”
The deal – INR 2 crore (about US $220,000) – ends his brief stay at Kolkata Knight Riders, where he managed only two outings last season. For Nortje, 2025 has been stop-start. He played just 13 matches across formats and, until this India tour, had not represented South Africa for 17 months.
A stubborn back problem put him out from October 2024 to May 2025, forcing him to miss the SA20 and the Champions Trophy. A short IPL stint followed, but another stress reaction sidelined him yet again, stretching the lay-off to almost six months. Only last month, turning out for the Dolphins, did he string together a run of overs – enough to earn an international recall.
The rust was obvious in Cuttack. Four overs, 41 runs, no wickets – though his speedometer still nudged 150 kph. Rested in Chandigarh, he returned in Dharamsala with 0 for 14 from three tidy overs, conceding just a thick edge from Shubman Gill. The pace was there, but, as he admitted, the real battle is rhythm.
“It’s nice to be back, I really missed it and really enjoying my time here,” he said. “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 is the first time Nortje has worked with South Africa’s all-format coach Shukri Conrad. The pair nearly linked up last summer when Gerald Coetzee was injured, but Nortje was nursing another niggle. He remains without a central contract by choice, yet speaks positively about the environment Conrad has fostered.
“With a new coach and how he’s been going about things, it seems to be going really well,” Nortje said. “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.”
His immediate task is clear: bank overs, stay fit, and translate raw speed into wickets. The selectors see him as a genuine point of difference – particularly on Australian and Indian pitches where his skiddy lengths can trouble batters even when movement is minimal. For Nortje, the IPL switch could help: the Ekana surface in Lucknow can be two-paced, rewarding bowlers who hit hard lengths.
There is also a personal milestone hovering. He sits on 63 T20I wickets; breaking the 75-mark would push him into South Africa’s top five. Such markers matter, but Nortje keeps the focus narrow. “Game by game” has become a mantra.
South Africa, meanwhile, have rotated their seamers smartly on this trip. Marco Jansen offers left-arm variety; Lungi Ngidi’s cutters grip the surface; Gerald Coetzee brings bounce. Nortje’s pace – when fully humming – rounds out the quartet. If the medical team keep him on the park, Conrad suddenly has enviable depth.
The Super Giants think so too. Their attack already includes Mark Wood and Mohsin Khan. Nortje adds experience and, crucially, death-overs expertise. For INR 2 crore, it feels a calculated punt on high upside.
It has been a frustrating 14 months, but the smile on Nortje’s face in Lucknow hinted at relief as much as excitement. A fresh contract, a fit back, and the speed gun flicking back to its familiar numbers – small steps, perhaps, yet vital ones for South Africa’s quickest.
