The South African Institute for Drug Free Sports (SAIDS) have confirmed Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has served a one-month for using a banned substance. The ban was reduced from three months.
Rabada left the Gujarat Titans’ Indian Premier League campaign in March 2025 due to a “personal matter” and, last week, revealed a suspension for “the use of a recreational drug” earlier this year.
This week, SAIDS stated Rabada failed a doping test on 21 January 2025 during MI Cape Town’s SA20 campaign.
“Substances of abuse are substances that are identified as such because they are frequently abused in society outside the context of sport. “The following are designated substances of abuse – cocaine, heroin, MDMA/’ecstasy, THC,” read Monday’s statement from SAIDS.
“A provisional suspension was imposed and Rabada returned immediately to South Africa from India. Rabada accepted responsibility for the doping offence and honoured his provisional suspension.
“As per the South African Anti-Doping rules specifically pertaining to substances of abuse, the player was offered an opportunity to complete a substance abuse treatment program. After Mr Rabada satisfactorily completed two sessions of his treatment program, his provisional suspension ended.
“The player has effectively served one-month period of ineligibility and may now resume participation in sport.”
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Rabada returned to the IPL this month – and will likely be named in South Africa’s XI for next month’s World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in London, England.
Rabada has played 70 Tests, 106 ODIs and 65 T20Is since debuting in international cricket in 2015. He is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket for South Africa with 327. Former Proteas seamers Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn have 330, 390, 421 and 439 Test wickets, respectively.
“The World Anti-Doping Agency does not know if you used it to benefit in sport or if you used it for partying. They ban it under all circumstances and then you have to come and prove that you used it for recreational purposes,” South African lawyer Barend Kellerman told Primedia Plus earlier this month.
“The ordinary period of ineligibility – the ban – could be reduced up to a period of three months. WADA, of course, don’t know if you used it to benefit yourself in sport or whether you used it for partying or recreational purposes.
“They ban it under all circumstances and then you have to come and prove that you used it for recreational purposes to qualify for the reduction in an otherwise prescribed period of ineligibility, which could be as much as four years.
“The bottom line is that everybody knows that these sorts of substances are banned in sport. If you want to be a professional sportsperson, you have to play by these rules.”