The Protea pacer recently revealed that he failed a drug test.
Former Australia skipper Tim Paine lashed out at the Gujarat Titans (GT) bowler Kagiso Rabada for his usage of recreational drugs. Previously, the 29-year-old left midway after playing two matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He had cited “personal issues” as his reason to fly back home in the middle of the tournament.
However, the pacer revealed the actual reason a few days back. The GT bowler said that he is currently serving a provisional suspension after failing a drug test.
“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,” the statement read.
The former Australia Test skipper Paine has taken a subtle dig at the Proteas pacer for citing “personal issues” as the reason behind leaving the IPL 2025 midway. The former wicketkeeper-batter accused Rabada of breaching the code of conduct and hiding it by naming the issue as a personal matter.
“It stinks. I don’t like this use around personal issues and it is being used to hide stuff that isn’t a personal issue. If you have a professional sportsman who’s tested for recreational drugs during a tournament in which he is playing, that doesn’t fall under personal issues for me. That falls under you having broken your contract. That is not a personal issue,” he accused on the SEN Radio Breakfast Show.
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As the pacer has already returned to India, he is likely to feature in the Titans’ playing XI soon. His franchise, GT, has shown tremendous form in the IPL 2025. They have won seven out of their 10 matches in the IPL 2025 so far.
Shubman Gill and Co. are currently placed fourth in the points table. GT needs only one win in their remaining four matches to qualify for the playoffs.
They have a high chance of securing a top-two finish as well. The Titans will next go head-to-head with the five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium tomorrow.
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