After spending most of the season on the bench, South African batter Matthew Breetzke finally got his long-awaited IPL debut on May 27, when the Lucknow Super Giants took on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. With the regular duo of Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh firmly occupying the opening slots, Breetzke had to wait until the final league game of the season to break into the playing XI.
Replacing fellow South African Markram in the lineup, Breetzke had a big task on his hands — setting the tone at the top of the order and proving his worth on debut. And the right-handed batter showed early promise. He began confidently, driving a boundary in the very first over to get off the mark.
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His intent became even clearer in the next over, as he danced down the track to lift Krunal Pandya for a crisp six over long-on, signalling that he wasn’t going to die wondering.
ಇದು.. ಇದು.. Actually ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿರೋದು.! 🫡
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 27, 2025
— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) May 27, 2025
However, just as it seemed Matthew Breetzke was settling in, his promising start was cut short in unfortunate fashion. Facing Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Thushara in the third over, Breetzke fell to a delivery that initially appeared to be a full toss but swung away late. The subtle movement beat his bat and crashed into the stumps, ending his debut innings on 14.
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Clearly frustrated by the mode of dismissal, Breetzke didn’t hide his emotions and was seen kicking the air in disappointment as he walked off. Despite the early loss, Lucknow Super Giants had a solid platform with 72 runs on the board in the 8th over at the time of reporting. Mitchell Marsh and skipper Rishabh Pant were holding the fort, aiming to close out the season with a consolation win in front of their home crowd.
