Kagiso Rabada has not played a match since the end of March, having left the IPL abruptly for ‘personal reasons’, which have since been revealed to be as a result of a positive test for the use of a prohibited substance.
Although the recreational drug has not been named in any of the statements on this bombshell story, it is rumoured to be cannabis related, and Rabada will not be suspended for an extensive period of time.
As also reported by the ever-reliable sports business journalist Cash N Sport, Rabada is facing a loss of R23-million (before tax) as per his lucrative deal in the IPL with the Gujarat Titans.
Although this is just one other layer to the story, it’s also now been reported by CricInfo that Rabada has actually already served a one-month ban, commuted from three months.
According to SAIDS, Rabada has since participated in an education and awareness programme to prevent further substance abuse, and he is now back in India, and is free to play – having only featured twice for the Titans this season.
Kagiso Rabada doesn’t want to be ‘defined’ by this incident
In a statement, CSA said that the “incident is regrettable”, while Rabada issued a heartfelt apology.
“As has been reported, I recently returned to South Africa from participating in the IPL for personal reasons,” Rabada said in his statement. “This was due to my returning an adverse analytical finding for the use of a recreational drug.
“I am deeply sorry to all those that I have let down. I will never take the privilege of playing cricket for granted. This privilege is much larger than me. It goes beyond my personal aspirations.
“I am serving a provisional suspension and I am looking forward to returning to the game I love playing.
“I couldn’t have gone through this alone. I’d like to thank my agent, CSA, and Gujarat Titans for their support. I’d also like to thank SACA and my legal team for their guidance and counsel. Most importantly I’d like to thank my friends and family for their understanding and love.
“Moving forward, this moment will not define me. I will keep doing what I have always done, continuously working hard and playing with passion and devotion to my craft.”
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