South African pacer consumed cocaine as a recreational drug, resulting in his one-month ban from playing the recently concluded . Rabada, who was playing for the in the IPL 2025, returned home due to personal reasons, as per the statement by the franchise.

After the GT’s match against the Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Kagiso Rabada departed to South Africa, and the reason for leaving the squad midway through the season was not specified by the franchise. In a statement by Gujarat Titans, the South African pacer returned home ‘to deal with an important personal matter’ and did not mention his return date.

Kagiso Rabada returned to play the remaining league stage matches of the Gujarat Titans after serving a one-month suspension for doping, and was not available for the Eliminator as Cricket South Africa asked World Test Championship Final-bound players to return home by 26th May to prepare for the title clash against Australia at Lord’s.

As per the report by , the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) confirmed that Kagiso Rabada was serving a provisional ban for consuming ‘cocaine’, which he used as a recreational drug. SAIDS published the findings of the drug result on June 3, which confirmed ‘benzoylecgonine’, a metabolite of cocaine, in the body of Rabada. Benzoylecgonine is formed in the liver after consuming cocaine and is excreted in urine.

As per the report, Kagiso Rabada tested positive on January 21, during the SA20 league, where he was playing for MI Cape Town, who won the maiden title of the tournament. Though the South African pacer tested positive for drug use in January, he was informed of the result in March, when he was playing in IPL 2025 and served a one-month suspension between April 1 and May 1, which sidelined him from a significant part of IPL 2025.

Rabada’s ban was reduced to one month after he committed to an educational program on substance abuse. The South African did not appeal for the one-month ban.

After serving a one-month ban, Kagiso Rabada, who was bought for 10.75 crore by Gujarat Titans, returned to IPL 2025 and picked only two wickets in four outings.

On May 3, while serving a one-month ban for using a ‘recreational drug’, Kagiso Rabada broke his silence on the reason behind returning home in the middle of the IPL 2025. In a statement through the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), the pacer stated that he is currently serving a provisional ban for using a recreational drug. He also apologized for the actions to the people who had faith in him, while promising himself that he wouldn’t take the privilege of playing cricket for granted.

"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.” Rababad said in his statement.

"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,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada will be featuring in the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s on June 11.

Rabada has been quite impressive in the ongoing WTC Cycle, picking 47 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls, at an average of 29.47 and an economy rate of 3.64 in 10 matches. Moreover, Rabada has a good record in England, picking 30 wickets at an average of 26 in six matches, which underlines his effectiveness in English conditions and makes him a vital weapon for South Africa in the summit clash.

However, Rabada is likely to be in the spotlight throughout the WTC final after his recent drug ban.