After a month away from competitive action due to his ban for his positive test for recreational drug use, Kagiso Rabada was marked for a comeback earlier this month with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025.
It has now been revealed that the South African pacer tested positive for cocaine and that the involvement of his legal team avoided him a lengthy doping ban and absence from the field.
According to South African newspaper Rapport, Rabada provided a urine sample on January 21 after Cape Town’s SA20 match against Durban Super Giants at Kingsmead and it was shown to return traces of benzoylecgonine (BZE), a metabolite of cocaine.
Rabada’s legal team later reportedly proved that the 29-year-old seamer had used cocaine out of competition. As the concentration was less than 1,000 nanograms per millilitre, the legal team indicated that the use of cocaine was not on the day of the test. It was also reported that Rabada declined the option of having a second sample test.
“He was smart to go down that route. If you know you did it, it saves you time and legal fees,” Khalid Galant, CEO of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS), told Rapport.
Rabada’s last outing in the was on March 29 against the before returning home for the entire month of April.
“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down,” Rabada said in a statement. “I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations.”
Rabada was cleared by SAIDS last week, stating that he had completed a one-month ban and had also completed an education and awareness programme to prevent further substance abuse.
“Mr. Rabada tested positive for a Substance of Abuse and was subsequently notified of the allegation of his doping offence on 1 April 2025. A provisional suspension was imposed and Mr. Rabada returned immediately to South Africa from India,” the release stated. “As per the South African Anti-Doping Rules specifically pertaining to Substances of Abuse, the player was offered an opportunity to complete a substance abuse treatment program.
