Lizaad Williams has flown to India to join the Delhi Capitals for the ongoing T20 tournament and might debut in the IPL this week.
The Delhi Capitals have enlisted South African fast bowler Lizaad Williams as a replacement for English batter Harry Brook in the current IPL season.
Brook had to withdraw from the 2024 IPL before the start due to his grandmother’s passing.
South African Star Joins Delhi Capitals
Williams has agreed to join the Capitals for his base price of INR 50 lakh, which is slightly more than R1.1 million. This marks his first IPL stint.
While Brook is a top-order batter, the Capitals have opted to strengthen their pace attack instead. Williams will enhance a pace department that includes fellow South African Anrich Nortje, along with Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Jhye Richardson, and Mukesh Kumar.
The team, based in India’s capital, also features pace-bowling all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Sumit Kumar currently.
Plans to include another prominent South African pacer, Lungi Ngidi, were scrapped as he withdrew just before the tournament due to a back injury that had affected his play earlier in the year.
Williams, already established in white-ball cricket, boasts 106 wickets from 83 T20 matches, with an impressive average of 19.76. He made his debut for the South African national team in April 2022 and has since participated in two Tests, four ODIs, and 11 T20 Internationals.
Proven Campaigner
Williams was also a member of the South African squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he played in the round-robin match against Bangladesh.
Domestically, this summer, he claimed 15 wickets for the SA20 team Joburg Super Kings, ranking fourth among wicket-takers in the season’s top event.
Williams’ arrival is timely for the Capitals, especially with Australian all-rounder Marsh sidelined with a hamstring injury for the next few weeks.
The Delhi Capitals, formerly known as the Delhi Daredevils, are currently at the bottom of the IPL points table, with four losses in five games. Although the franchise has competed in every IPL season, they have yet to win the championship.
Williams will be the 14th South African to play for the Delhi-based team in the IPL. Morne Morkel, who appeared 41 times for the team and is now a bowling coach for the Lucknow Super Giants, holds the record for most appearances by a South African with Delhi.
