Lungi Ngidi is a South African professional cricketer who plays for the South Africa national team. He played for KwaZulu-Natal Under-19s at the Khaya Majola Week, where he was noticed by Northerns. He moved to Pretoria to further develop his game and emerged as a T20 prospect after finishing as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the Africa Cup T20 tournament. He was promoted to the Titans franchise side during the 2015–16 season and played in the final they won.
Ngidi made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in January 2017 and was named Man of the Match for figures of 2 for 12. His ODI debut series against India followed, where he took eight wickets in three matches. He later took six wickets in the second ODI of South Africa’s home series clean sweep against Australia before the COVID-19 pandemic. He then toured Pakistan and the West Indies, and in late 2021, took eight wickets against India at Centurion.
Lungi Ngidi’s Records and Achievements
Ngidi made his Test debut against India on 13 January 2018, taking 7/87 in the match, including 6/39 in the second innings. He played his first ODI on 7 February 2018 against India and was awarded a national contract by Cricket South Africa ahead of the 2018–19 season. Ngidi was part of South Africa’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He was named in South Africa’s squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and took his first five-wicket haul in T20Is in July 2022 against England.
Lungi Ngidi Career Stats
In Tests, Ngidi has played 35 innings and taken 58 wickets, with a best bowling figure of 6/39. He has one four-wicket haul and three five-wicket hauls. With the bat in Tests, he has batted in 31 innings, scoring 97 runs, hitting 14 fours and one six.
In ODIs, Ngidi has bowled in 74 innings and picked up 115 wickets, with a best of 6/58. He has four four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls in the format. His ODI batting record shows 126 runs from 31 innings, including eight fours and six sixes.
In T20Is, he has bowled in 54 innings and taken 76 wickets, with best figures of 5/39. He has two four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul. As a batter in T20Is, he has scored 50 runs from 16 innings, hitting four fours and one six.
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Inns | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 35 | 58 | 6/39 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| ODIs | 74 | 115 | 6/58 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| T20Is | 54 | 76 | 5/39 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Inns | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 31 | 97 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| ODIs | 31 | 126 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| T20Is | 16 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Lungi Ngidi’s Personal Life
Ngidi was raised in Kloof, Durban. His mother worked as a domestic worker, and his father was a maintenance worker at a local school. Ngidi received scholarships to attend Highbury Preparatory School and later Hilton College.
During his early years at Hilton, he played rugby before focusing fully on cricket. He was coached there by former Zimbabwe all-rounder Neil Johnson. After finishing school, Ngidi enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Industrial Sociology at the University of Pretoria.
Lungi Ngidi Contract
Lungi Ngidi was released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. The decision freed up an overseas slot as RCB looks to rebuild their fast-bowling attack for the next season. Ngidi had been bought by RCB for the 2025 season at a price of ₹1 crore.
In the SA20 2025 auction, Ngidi was bought by the Pretoria Capitals for R2.3 million. This amount is roughly equal to ₹1.15 crore in Indian currency. In an earlier SA20 auction, he had been picked up by the Paarl Royals for a higher price of R3.4 million. For the SA20 Season 4 auction, Ngidi entered with a base price of R500,000.
FAQs
Q. How fast is Lungi Ngidi bowling?
A. Lungi Ngidi consistently bowls around 140 kmph (87 mph) and can go faster.
Q. What is Lungi Ngidi’s current ICC ranking?
A. Ngidi’s ICC bowling ranking in Tests is 40, in T20Is is 55, and in ODIs is 32.
Q. Which IPL team bought Lungi Ngidi?
A. Lungi Ngidi was sold to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ₹1 Crore in IPL 2025.
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