Kagiso Rabada breaks silence on drug ban

LONDON: South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada on Saturday broke his silence after serving a one-month suspension for recreational drug use, acknowledging the incident while insisting he will not dwell excessively on apologies.

The 30-year-old pacer tested positive in January during the SA20 league and later withdrew from the Indian Premier League (IPL), citing 'personal reasons' — a cover for what turned out to be a disciplinary sanction.

Speaking to the media ahead of South Africa’s World Test Championship (WTC) final in London, Rabada said he felt a responsibility to be open with his team-mates.

“I think I owe it to them — they are my team-mates. We have come from so far, you know, and to my closest people I owe it to them,” he said.

Rabada confirmed that he had already addressed the matter briefly with the squad and was open to further conversations.

“Look, this is not an ideal situation. I do not need too many pats on the back here. I have already spoken to them, and I guess we can do so in more detail when we get together for an extended amount of time,” he said.

He returned to the Gujarat Titans for two IPL matches following his ban, but has remained relatively quiet in public until now. 

“It led me to a bit of introspection about myself, and I took some time away from the game. I think the biggest thing I took away from it is having gratitude for playing the game that we love,” Rabada noted.

Rabada, who accepted his punishment without contesting it, said his decision to return from the IPL early and deal with the matter head-on was the right one.

“The decision to come back early was brilliant, and that's a decision that I made,” Rabada explained. “I could have tried to contest it and whatnot, but coming home was the best option.”

Despite the media attention and public scrutiny, Rabada insisted he was mentally prepared to accept differing opinions about his actions.

“As a player, and a man, people will have their different opinions. I can live with that,” he said.

He had earlier issued a formal apology to fans but reiterated that while he regrets his actions, he will not allow the incident to define him.

“As you would have seen in my statement, there are some people who would have been disappointed. And to those people, I am deeply sorry. The people closest to me are the ones I felt I let down,” he said.

“But life moves on. I will never be ‘Mr-I-Apologise’ too much. But I will never condone that action,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Rabada failed a doping test on January 21, 2025, following the SA20 match between MI Cape Town and Durban Super Giants.

He was officially notified of the result on April 1, 2025, while he was in India for the IPL. Two days later, his franchise, Gujarat Titans (GT), announced that Rabada had returned to South Africa, citing ‘personal reasons’ after appearing in just two matches.