Aiden Markram happy to bury the ghosts of the 2024 T20 World Cup final loss
Aiden Markram played a remarkable innings in South Africa’s clinical five-wicket win over Australia in the WTC 2025 final. He scored his first century at Lord’s and stitched a match-winning partnership of 147 with skipper Temba Bavuma to see his side lift their first ICC crown in 27 years.
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International career
Aiden Kyle Markram was born on 4 October 1994. He is a cricketer from South Africa and leads the national team in T20 internationals.
He was the captain of the South African under-19 team that won the 2014 ICC U19 World Cup. He played his first match for the senior national team in September 2017.
In 2018, the South African Cricket Annual named him as one of the five “Cricketers of the Year”. Graeme Smith, a former captain, said Markram looked like a future leader.
He also leads Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 league. This team won the title in both 2023 and 2024.
2017
- June: Named in South Africa’s Test squad for the England series but did not play.
- August: Captained South Africa A in two four-day matches against India A.
- September 28: Made Test debut vs Bangladesh in Potchefstroom.
- October 6: Scored his first Test century (143 runs) in the second Test vs Bangladesh.
- October 22: Made ODI debut vs Bangladesh in East London. Scored 66 runs and took 2 wickets.
2018
- February: Took over ODI captaincy during the India series after Faf du Plessis’ injury. At age 23 years and 123 days, became South Africa’s second youngest ODI captain.
- March 30: Scored career-best Test score of 152 against Australia.
- June: Toured Sri Lanka. Scored poorly, showing weakness against spin.
- August: Named in the T20I squad for a match vs Sri Lanka but did not play.
2019
- March 22: Made T20I debut vs Sri Lanka in Centurion.
- April: Named in South Africa’s 2019 World Cup squad.
- August: Played in three-Test series in India. Scored poorly and missed third Test due to wrist injury.
2020
- December: Named in the Test squad for England series. Scored 20 and 2 in the first Test. Missed rest of series due to a fractured finger.
2021
- January: Played in Test series vs Pakistan. Scored 74 in first match and a century in second match. Finished as top run-scorer in the series with 227 runs (average 56.75). South Africa lost the series.
2023
- March: Named T20I captain for home series vs West Indies.
- October: Scored fastest World Cup century at that time (49 balls) vs Sri Lanka. Finished on 106 off 54. This record was broken later in the same tournament.
2024
- May: Named T20 World Cup captain for South Africa.
The team reached the final for the first time in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history. South Africa lost to India.
- November 15: Played last T20I vs India in Johannesburg. Scored 8 runs from 8 balls.
2025
- January 3–6: Played last Test vs Pakistan in Cape Town. Scored 17 runs off 40 balls.
- March 5: Played last ODI vs New Zealand in Lahore. Scored 31 runs off 29 balls.
Leagues Participation
Aiden Markram has played in different franchise leagues in South Africa and India. In the Indian Premier League, he joined Punjab Kings in 2021, then played for Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2022 to 2024, and moved to Lucknow Super Giants in 2025.
In South Africa, he took part in the Mzansi Super League and has been a key player in the SA20, where he also leads Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Indian Premier League
Aiden Markram joined the IPL in 2021 and has played for three different teams. He first appeared for Punjab Kings during the UAE leg of the 2021 season. From 2022 to 2024, he was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad and even captained the side in 2023. In 2025, he moved to Lucknow Super Giants and became one of their leading scorers during the season.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2021
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Punjab Kings
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Joined for UAE leg; added to the squad on 11 September 2021.
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2022
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Sunrisers Hyderabad
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Bought at the auction in February 2022.
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2023
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Sunrisers Hyderabad
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Appointed captain after Kane Williamson was released.
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2024
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Sunrisers Hyderabad
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Dropped due to poor performance (199 runs in 9 matches); replaced as captain by Cummins.
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2025
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Lucknow Super Giants
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One of the top scorers; missed final due to South Africa national team duties.
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Mzansi Super League
Aiden Markram played in the Mzansi Super League for Paarl Rocks. He was named in the squad for the 2018 season, the first edition of the tournament. In 2019, he was again included in the team’s squad for the second edition of the league.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2018
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Paarl Rocks
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Named in the squad for the first MSL season.
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2019
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Paarl Rocks
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Included again for the second season of the league.
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SA20
Aiden Markram has played a key role in the SA20 League with Sunrisers Eastern Cape. He led the team to back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. In the 2023 season, he scored 369 runs with a strike rate of 127 and took 11 wickets, showing strong all-round form. His success in SA20 helped him receive the captaincy of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2023 season.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023
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Sunrisers Eastern Cape
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Captained team to SA20 title; scored 369 runs and took 11 wickets.
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2024
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Sunrisers Eastern Cape
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Led team to second straight SA20 championship.
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Domestic career
Aiden Markram began his domestic career in South Africa with the Northerns team, debuting in first-class cricket in October 2014. He also played in the Africa T20 Cup in 2015. In 2016, he spent a season in England with Walkden in the Bolton Cricket League. Markram received recognition in 2017 as Domestic Newcomer of the Year and was set to play in the now-cancelled T20 Global League.
He represented Paarl Rocks in the Mzansi Super League in 2018 and 2019. In 2019, he joined Hampshire as an overseas player and helped Titans win the Momentum One Day Cup by scoring 127 in the final. He returned to Northerns for the 2021–22 season. Alongside local competitions, Markram also gained attention through his roles in franchise leagues, both in South Africa and India.
Records and achievements
Aiden Markram has reached many goals in international and domestic cricket. He has earned titles, led teams, and scored runs across different formats.
- 2014: Captain of South Africa U-19 team that won the ICC Under-19 World Cup
- 2017: Named Domestic Newcomer of the Year by Cricket South Africa
- 2018: Picked as one of the five “Cricketers of the Year” by South African Cricket Annual
- 2021: Named in ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year
- 2021: Voted T20I Player of the Year by Cricket South Africa
- 2023: Scored 100 from 49 balls against Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup — the fastest century in that tournament at the time
- 2023 and 2024: Led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to SA20 League titles
- 2024: Appointed T20I captain of South Africa and reached the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Career Numbers (by June 2025):
- Tests: 45 matches, 2,857 runs, average 36, 412 fours, 14 sixes
- ODIs: 77 matches, 2,371 runs, average 37, 236 fours, 55 sixes
- T20Is: 57 matches, 1,367 runs, average 30, 123 fours, 56 sixes
Current ICC Rankings (June 2025):
- Tests: 18th place – 662 points
- ODIs: 26th place – 596 points
- T20Is: 24th place – 597 points
Personal life
Aiden Markram keeps his private life mostly out of the public eye. He focuses on cricket but shares some details about his family and personal interests.
Family
Aiden Markram is married to Nicole O’Connor Markram. The couple dated for over nine years before they married on 22 July 2023. Nicole is a South African entrepreneur. Aiden has a sister named Paige Markram. His parents are Kyle and Gina Markram, who supported him throughout his career. He prefers to keep family details private and away from the spotlight.
Finance
As of 2025, Aiden Markram’s estimated fortune is $5 million.
Scandals
In 2018, a ball-tampering scandal happened during a test series between South Africa and Australia. Australian players Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were banned for trying to change the ball’s condition. Markram called the scandal shocking but said he believed the spirit of cricket remained intact.
Fans
Aiden Markram has a fan base of around 500,000 people.
