He made his first-class cricket debut in 2006 and his Test debut in November 2016.

A left-arm orthodox spin bowler and lower-order batsman, he represents KwaZulu-Natal and Dolphins in domestic cricket.

In June 2021, Maharaj became only the second South Africa bowler to score a hat-trick in a Test match. In September 2021, Maharaj captained South Africa for the first time, in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. In September 2021, Maharaj made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka and captained the team in his debut match.

Early Life

Keshav was born on the beach in Durban to Atmanand and Kanchan Mala. His ancestors came from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India and arrived in Durban in 1874.

Domestic Career

Maharaj made his first-class debut at the age of 16 for KwaZulu-Natal in the 2006–07 season. He was promoted to the Dolphins team in 2009-10.
Maharaj toured Bangladesh with the South Africa Academy in April–May 2010 and took 13 wickets in the two four-day matches against the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy. In one of the T20 matches, he also took 4 for 12 from four overs, opening the bowling. He played for South Africa A against the touring team Bangladesh A in 2010/11.

Maharaj's best season to date with the bat was 2012–13, when he scored 481 first-class runs at an average of 48.10, including two centuries. For KwaZulu-Natal against the Northerns, he scored 114 not out off 119 balls, finishing the game with 5 for 12.

For the Dolphins against the Cape Cobras in the 2014–15 season, Maharaj posted his best innings and match figures to date: 6 for 58 and 10 for 145. The Dolphins won and he received the Man of the Match award. He finished the season with 44 first-class wickets at an average of 26.18.

Maharaj played for Cuckfield in the Sussex Premier League in 2013 and as a Nelson professional in the Lancashire League in 2015. He was included in the KwaZulu-Natal cricket team's squad for the 2015 Africa T20 Cup.

In the first game of the 2016–17 season in which Maharaj played for the Dolphins against the Warriors, he scored 72, then went 7 for 89 and 6 for 68 in an innings win for the Dolphins, the first time he had seven Wickets taken in an innings or 13 wickets in a game.

In October 2018, Maharaj was named in the Durban Heat squad for the inaugural edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament.

After appearing for Lancashire in 2018, Maharaj played five games for Yorkshire in the 2019 County Championship, taking 38 wickets at an average of 18.92, which saw the team finish 5th.

In September 2019, Maharaj was named in the Durban Heat team's squad for the 2019 Mzansi Super League tournament. In April 2021, he was named to the KwaZulu-Natal squad ahead of the 2021–22 South Africa cricket season.

On 27 February 2023 he joined Middlesex to register overseas for the LV= County Championship and Vitality t20 Blast competitions.

He later had to retire due to an Achilles tendon injury.

International Career

In October 2016, Maharaj was named in South Africa's squad for the series against Australia. He made his Test debut against the Australians on 3 November 2016 and was instrumental in the collapse of the Australian batting force in the first innings, taking three crucial wickets. He was the first specialist spinner to make his Test debut in Perth.

On 10 March 2017, Maharaj took his first five-wicket haul in Tests against New Zealand. This was only the seventh five by a South African spinner in Tests against New Zealand.

In April 2017, Maharaj was named in South Africa's One Day International (ODI) squad for the series against England and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. He made his ODI debut for South Africa on May 27, 2017 against England.

In May 2017, Maharaj was named International Newcomer of the Year at the annual Cricket South Africa Awards. In October 2017, he took his 50th wicket in Tests in the first Test against Bangladesh.

In July 2018, during the second Test match against Sri Lanka, Maharaj recorded his best Test bowling figures in an innings of 9 for 129 and also recorded the best ever bowling figures in a Test innings by a visiting bowler in Sri Lanka . He also recorded the best ever bowling figures in a Test innings by a South African in Asia. His figures of 9 for 129 are the second best bowling figures by a South African in a Test innings after Hugh Tayfield, and the best Test bowling figures by a South African since his readmission to international cricket in 1991. He became the second left-arm spinner, to Rangana Herath to take 9 wickets in a Test innings.

In August 2018, Maharaj was named in the South African Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the one-off match against Sri Lanka, but did not feature in that match.

In October 2019, during the series against India, Maharaj took his 100th wicket in Test cricket.

In November 2020, Maharaj was named in the South Africa squad for the limited overs series against England.

On 21 June 2021, Maharaj scored South Africa's second ever Test hat-trick and first since Geoff Griffin at Lord's in 1960, on the fourth day of the second Test match of South Africa's tour of the West Indies. In September 2021, Maharaj was named in the South African squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, although he did not feature in the T20I. He made his T20I debut on 10 September 2021 for South Africa against Sri Lanka as captain of the team and took a wicket with his first ball in T20I. He also helped South Africa win the series 3-0 after South Africa lost the ODI series 2-1 to Sri Lanka.