Chitwan Rhinos have announced South African pacer Marchant de Lange as their first foreign signing for the inaugural season of Nepal Premier League.
In 2011, Marchant de Lange made his Test debut for South Africa, taking 7 for 81 in the opening innings against Sri Lanka, which launched him onto the international stage. However, he did not reach those heights as frequently as he would have liked during his brief international career. He played just one more Test match and a few limited-overs matches over a five-year span before deciding to retire in 2017 at the age of 26 using his wife’s British passport to sign with Glamorgan as a local player.
De Lange proved to be a useful death bowler and had greater success in limited-overs cricket. In 2012, he helped South Africa win the series by defending seven runs off the last over in the third Twenty20 match against New Zealand. De Lange was selected by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL that year, however he only participated in three matches. He was unable to compete in the 2012–13 season due to a stress fracture he sustained shortly after the competition.
Although he had to wait till the middle of 2014 to demonstrate it at the international level once more, his recovery involved rearranging his movement to provide greater stability at the crease. A single match during the August 2014 limited-overs tour to Zimbabwe was followed by a single appearance during the World Cup scouting trip to Australia in 2015 and a few home games against the West Indies. De Lange missed the 2015 World Cup, lost ground to some of the younger bowlers, and let up runs in what turned out to be his final One-Day International (ODI) against England in early 2016.
After playing for the Mumbai Indians, Barbados Tridents, and Guyana Amazon Warriors, he continued to be a regular on the T20 circuit. In early 2017, he made the bold decision to sign a three-year contract with Glamorgan. With impressive performances across all forms, he made an immediate impression. However, he excelled in the T20 Blast campaign, collecting 18 wickets to help the team advance to Finals Day.
He now brings his traits to Nepal for the Chitwan Rhinos where he with his lengths and pace would be looking to dominate the bowling front throughout the season.