MUMBAI: South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has rejoined the Gujarat Titans (GT) squad in India ahead of their next IPL 2025 fixture against the Mumbai Indians. Rabada returns after serving a one-month suspension due to a positive test for recreational drug use, which kept him out of action for much of the season. GT’s director of cricket, Vikram Solanki, confirmed that Rabada is once again available for selection and acknowledged the bowler’s remorse over the incident.
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"Speaking about Kagiso, I'd like to just get a couple of things across," Solanki stated. "The first of which would be that Kagiso has expressed regret at an error in judgement. He's made a telling statement. I read his statement, and I thought that his statement speaks volumes about the personality of the character that he is. He has expressed regret, as I said. But he is very much looking forward to getting back to playing the game he loves. He will take his, sort of, lessons from this and we're just looking forward to having him back part of our group, having him back at practice. He served his time."
Solanki emphasized that all procedural requirements were strictly adhered to throughout the suspension process, and that the team remained mindful of Rabada's emotional well-being.
Rabada trained briefly with the squad at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, seen interacting closely with head coach Ashish Nehra and fellow players like Rashid Khan and Trent Boult. He also had a conversation with Akash Ambani, owner of MI’s T20 franchise.
Solanki acknowledged that such off-field issues can easily disrupt a player’s focus, saying, "You are absolutely right, it is easy to get distracted… But as far as the team's concerned, the team will of course support it. It's our job to support the players we have, whether it be on the matter of form or it be on the matter of personal matters like this. We will be supportive of Kagiso."
Despite Rabada’s absence and Rashid Khan's struggles, GT have managed an impressive run this season, currently sitting fourth on the points table with seven wins from ten matches. Their bowling unit has performed admirably, with Prasidh Krishna leading the Purple Cap race with 19 wickets, supported by Mohammed Siraj (14 wickets) and Sai Kishore (12 wickets, economy 8.35).
Praising the unit’s collective effort, Solanki said, "I think all of the bowlers have performed outstandingly… And what we found ourselves in as far as Kagiso's absence was that the rest of the group pulled together, it speaks volumes of that group that they've pulled together and been able to deliver the performance as they have."
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