Kagiso Rabada played only two matches for the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 before returning to South Africa. He could make a comeback in GT’s clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday, April 6.
A statement issued by the South African Institute for Drug Free Sports (SAIDS) confirmed Rabada had failed a doping test on January 21, following an SA20 fixture involving MI Cape Town and Durban Super Giants. He was informed about the result on April 1 when he was in India, playing for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. The South African pacer had returned home due to “personal reasons” at that time.
As per SAIDS, Rabada went on to participate in an education and awareness programme to prevent further substance abuse. GT fans will be thrilled to have him back in the side as he is in line to return to competitive cricket in a crucial fixture against MI at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
It is highly unlikely that Cricket South Africa (CSA) will impose further punishment on Rabada after it issued a statement on Saturday afternoon calling the incident “regrettable”. CSA is satisfied with Rabada’s “commitment to upholding professional standards” after he apologised through the South African Cricketers’ Association when news of his positive drug test came to the fore.
“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. 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 said.
Gujarat are currently in an excellent position to progress to the playoffs in IPL 2025. They are positioned at No. 4 on the points table with seven wins and three defeats from 10 games.
Rabada will also be available for the World Test Championship (WTC) final between South Africa and Australia, which will be played next month. The 29-year-old was South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle with 47 wickets at an average of 19.97. He will be key to the Proteas’ chances of winning their first-ever WTC title.
