South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock delivered a vintage T20 masterclasssmashing 90 off just 46 balls in the second T20I against India at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Thursday.

De Kock brought up his half-century in just 26 deliveriestaking the attack to the Indian bowlers and giving South Africa a powerful platform while setting up their total. His fluent stroke-making and clean ball-striking reminded fans of the kind of impact he has consistently brought to top-level T20 cricket over the years.

Interestingly, the left-hander enters this performance without an IPL team. He was released by Kolkata Knight Riders after the 2025 season and will now feature in the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auctionregistered at a base price of Rs 1 crore.

De Kock will appear in Set 3which includes other capped wicketkeepers such as Jonny Bairstow, Jamie Smith and Finn Allen.

At 32, the experienced Proteas batter remains one of the most travelled overseas players in the league, having represented six franchises — Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, and Kolkata Knight Riders.

In the IPL, he has played 115 matchesscoring 3309 runs at an average of 30.63 and a strike rate of 134.02making him one of the most reliable wicketkeeper-batters in the tournament’s history.

With Thursday’s explosive knock arriving just days before the auction, de Kock’s name is expected to draw renewed attention from teams seeking an aggressive top-order wicketkeeper option.