Both before and after the brief banning for doping, Kagiso Rabada’s soul once danced in the melody of the Indian Premier League. According to South African papers Rapport, Rabada was seemingly in violation of the laws of anti-doping: he tested positive for cocaine that he is said to have used before the SA20 competition.
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The Reports’ shock came on the side of the Gujarat Titans as Rabada slipped out of the IPL on April 3, barely a week after it had commenced. The statement from the team was vague: he was said to have left for personal reasons, and no further information was shared, while sources disclosed that Rabada’s lawyers demonstrated that he did not take cocaine during the course of SA20, as the concentration of cocaine metabolite in his system was below the minimum threshold stipulated. It was also told that Rabada opted out in having his second sample evaluated.
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Following the news of the ban in early May, former Australian captain Tim Paine vented his frustration over the very short ban and lack of transparency. He said that if the substance were revealed to the public, then Rabada would only have been banned for one month. It had been reported that the substance was a downer and not something that could assist in performance.
Paine said, “Taking drugs, whether for fun or to boost performance, isn’t something that can just be brushed off. This guy got pulled from the IPL and sent back to South Africa, and we’re just supposed to ignore it? He’ll still play against Australia in the World Test Championship and is back in the IPL without anyone knowing what happened.”
He added, “If he’s caught using drugs, people should be informed about what it was, how long the ban lasts, and who authorized it. It’s important for accountability.”
