Lara van der Dussen to assist young star Maphaka in schooling at IPL

There will be a Van der Dussen at the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), but not the one who smashes the ball over cow corner or plunders drives through the covers. Instead of Rassie, his wife Lara will be lending a hand to the Mumbai Indians, specifically their young star, Kwena Maphaka. 

“It’s an ironic turn of events,” Van der Dussen, the batter, chuckled. “She goes [to the IPL] and I’m not.”

Lara van der Dussen, a qualified teacher, will be assisting 18-year-old Maphaka with his matric studies while he is at the IPL. Maphaka, a teammate of Van der Dussen at the Central Gauteng Lions, surprisingly earned a contract with the Mumbai franchise, a few weeks after starring for the SA under-19 side at the junior World Cup. 

“It all came about quite organically,” said Rassie van der Dussen. “Jono [Leaf-Wright, the Lions CEO] called and asked if she'd be interested, and she was happy to get involved.” 

“It’s hard enough in the IPL, I just can’t imagine what it must be like having to worry about school work as well.”

Mumbai have been seeking a tutor since signing Maphaka three weeks ago. While his high school, St Stithians, has been able to supply the necessary academic work, a tutor is needed to assist with co-ordination. 

“She’ll be doing the physical assessments, making sure they are done in the right conditions, and then bringing that work back to St Stithians,” said Van der Dussen. 

“She just wants to help in any way she can, she was on board straight away. We have a relationship there through MI Cape Town [where Van der Dussen plays in the SA20] so they knew her already. It’s worked out quite nicely.”

Lara van der Dussen will be heading to India in the first week of May.

Maphaka has played twice for the Mumbai Indians, and was part of the attack that conceded the highest IPL total against Sunrisers Hyderabad on his debut. He showed that he was a quick learner and bounced back in his second appearance at the Wankhede Stadium, taking his first wicket in the process.

Rassie van der Dussen, meanwhile, is heading into the home stretch of the T20 Challenge with the Lions, who now sit comfortably in third place on that competition’s log. 

In a power-packed Lions team, Van der Dussen’s returns in the T20 Challenge have been modest, though he is still satisfied with his overall form throughout the year. 

“With so many players at the Lions, it’s been tough for Russell [Domingo, the head coach] to fit everyone in. There has been a lot of shuffling, in my case I’ve opened, batted at No 3 and at 4. We’ve got guys like Mitchell van Buuren and Wiaan Mulder, who also feel they deserve a chance to show what they can do and then there are guys like Connor Esterhuizen and Delano Potgieter who can’t even get a game.”

While he’s scored just 178 runs in eight innings for the Lions, Van der Dussen is the second-highest run scorer across all T20 matches this year, with an aggregate of 870 runs, bettered only by Pakistan superstar Babar Azam, who has 1,033 runs to his name.

“It’s been a bit stop/start for me in the T20 Challenge, but I have had a really good year in T20s in general. I feel I’ve given myself a really good chance of being selected for the T20 World Cup,” he said. 

The Lions have four matches remaining in the league phase of the T20 Challenge, and will aim to knock the log-leading Warriors off their perch to secure a home semifinal and final in the competition. The Lions face the North West Dragons in their next fixture at the Wanderers on Sunday.