The Gujarat Titans have announced that their main bowler, Kagiso Rabada, has headed back to South Africa for personal reasons. Right now, it’s not clear how long he’ll be gone. At 29, Rabada is a seasoned player, and his absence will certainly be felt by the team as the Indian Premier League 2025 rolls on.
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In a statement shared by PTI, the Titans explained, “Kagiso Rabada has returned to South Africa to deal with an important personal matter.” His last match for the IPL took place against the Mumbai Indians on Saturday, March 29, 2025. He wasn’t part of the lineup for their recent game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which took place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In his place, they brought in Arshad Khan, a left-arm bowler. He made an important impact by taking the wicket of Virat Kohli early on, helping the Titans secure a win by 8 wickets with 13 balls remaining.
The Titans are lucky to have some solid backup, as they could potentially replace Rabada with another South African bowler, Gerald Coetzee, or bring in Afghanistan’s Karim Janat, who could strengthen their batting lineup. Still, Rabada’s experience is going to be missed, especially given his history with teams like the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, along with his international career representing South Africa in all formats.
Rabada boasts a striking record: 327 wickets across 70 Tests, 168 across 106 ODIs, and 71 in 65 T20 internationals, making him one of South Africa’s most dependable fast bowlers throughout his career.
Despite starting their season with a loss to the Punjab Kings, the Titans have bounced back nicely, winning against both Mumbai Indians and RCB in their last two matches. They’ll be aiming for a third straight win when they face the Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away match on April 6, 2025, which falls on a Sunday. The Titans are hopeful that Rabada will return soon so they can get their bowling lineup back to full strength for the upcoming challenges.
