South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada, who is part of the Gujarat Titans squad, recently returned home for personal reasons, and it was not clear when he would return to India for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The Proteas speedster finally disclosed the reason behind his absence from the tournament, saying he was serving “provisional suspension” after testing positive for a “recreational drug.”
Rabada released a statement on Friday evening, asking for forgiveness from fans whom he has let down. He also stated that he will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted.
As per ESPNCricinfo, Rabada is now back in India for the remainder of the IPL 2025 campaign. As per the report, the speedster took the drug during the SA20, in which he played for MI Cape Town. He was found guilty of using a recreational drug and not a performance-enhancing drug.
“As has been reported, I recently returned to South Africa from participating in the IPL for personal reasons. This was due to my returning an adverse analytical finding for the use of a recreational drug,” Rabada said in an official statement.
“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. I am serving a provisional suspension and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing,” he added.
Rabada also thanked Cricket South Africa (CSA) and Gujarat Titans for their support, saying he “couldn’t have gone through it alone.”
