In what has come as a huge development, Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer Kagiso Rabada has flown back home just a day after GT’s 8-wicket triumph away from home against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The seasoned pacer, who has the record of taking the fastest 100 IPL wickets, has returned to South Africa due to “personal reasons”. Fascinatingly, Rabada didn’t take part in the RCB vs GT game on Wednesday as well.
GT to miss Kagiso Rabada at IPL 2025?
“Kagiso Rabada has returned to South Africa to deal with an important personal matter,” said in a statement by the Gujarat Titans.
Rabada had a lukewarm start with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2025. In the opening match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), he conceded 41 runs while taking one wicket, ultimately ending in a defeat for the Titans. His second match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) didn’t fare much better, with figures of 1/42.
While he has taken just two wickets so far, Rabada spearheads the GT attack despite the franchise having the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Ishant Sharma in the mix. Being one of the best all-format pacers, Rabada was bought for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore by GT at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah.
With Rabada back in South Africa, and not in India. Hence, he’s likely to miss GT’s next game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as well on April 6. In his place, all-rounder Arshad Khan stepped in and made an immediate impact, dismissing Virat Kohli in the RCB vs GT game.
The Titans still managed to secure a convincing eight-wicket win. With Rabada’s availability uncertain, the team’s overseas options are limited, with Glenn Phillips and Gerald Coetzee yet to feature. The Titans will look to maintain their momentum in their upcoming games against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
Kagiso Rabada stats at IPL
| Tournament | Teams | Inns | Wkts | BBI | Ave | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL | 3 teams | 82 | 119 | 4/21 | 22.29 | 8.53 | 15.6 |
| IPL 2025 | GT | 2 | 2 | 1/41 | 41.50 | 10.37 | 24.0 |
| IPL 2024 | PBKS | 11 | 11 | 2/18 | 33.81 | 8.85 | 22.9 |
| IPL 2023 | PBKS | 6 | 7 | 2/34 | 33.14 | 10.08 | 19.7 |
| IPL 2022 | PBKS | 13 | 23 | 4/33 | 17.65 | 8.45 | 12.5 |
| IPL 2021 | DC | 15 | 15 | 3/36 | 30.40 | 8.14 | 22.4 |
| IPL 2020 | DC | 17 | 30 | 4/24 | 18.26 | 8.34 | 13.1 |
| IPL 2019 | DC | 12 | 25 | 4/21 | 14.72 | 7.82 | 11.2 |
| IPL 2017 | DC | 6 | 6 | 2/20 | 31.33 | 8.81 | 21.3 |
