Islamabad, May 28, 2025: Matthew Breetzke stepped onto the grand stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time on Monday, turning out for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
The 26-year-old South African right-hander began his IPL career with a single, but displayed his potential shortly after. On just the third ball he faced, he elegantly struck it through the leg side for four. Two deliveries later, he cleared his front leg and sent the ball soaring over long-on for a six, drawing cheers from the home crowd.
His innings was however short-lived. He attempted to drive a low full toss from Nuwan Thushara, missed it completely, and was bowled. Breetzke managed 14 runs off 12 deliveries, ending his maiden IPL outing with a strike rate of 116.67, hitting one boundary and a maximum during his short innings.
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Matthew Breetzke has represented South Africa in all three formats. He made his T20I debut on 3 September 2023 against Australia. His Test debut came against Bangladesh on 21 October 2024. Earlier this year, he also made his ODI debut versus New Zealand on 10 February and has since featured in two ODIs, making 233 runs at a remarkable average of 116.5, including a top score of 150.
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In the shortest format at the international level, Breetzke has played 10 matches so far, scoring 151 runs with a highest score of 57. His IPL journey began after he was acquired by LSG at the auction for Indian Rs 75 lakhs.
