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On May 25, 1995, South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada was born to Mpho Rabada and Florence Rabada in Johannesburg. He broke into competitive cricket with his debut for Gauteng in the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Provincial One-Day Competition in December 2013. His disciplined performance in the domestic circuit got him a spot in South Africa’s T20 International (T20I) team that toured Australia for three T20 Internationals (T20I). Playing two games down under, he took only one wicket at an economy of 8.66. Seven months later, he was handed his One-Day International (ODI) debut against Bangladesh in Mirpur.
In 2015, South Africa registered their maiden ODI series win in India by beating the MS Dhoni-led side by 3-2 and Rabada played a vital role in the success. He chipped in with 10 wickets in five matches at an economy of 5.12 and emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the series, along with his senior teammate Dale Steyn. In November 2015, he also broke into international Test cricket against India in Mohali.
After serving the Protea side for 11 years from 2014 to 2025, he has scalped 566 wickets in 241 matches across all formats. With these numbers, he is the sixth-most successful bowler for South Africa.
Breakthrough in IPL and Purple Cap achievement in 2020
In 2017, Rabada broke into the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Delhi Capitals (DC) handed him a contract for the season. In his debut appearance, he took six wickets in six games at an economy of 8.81. He served Capitals until 2021 and during this period, he grabbed 76 wickets in 50 games at an economy of 8.21.
His best in the league came in 2020, when he became the recipient of the illustrious Purple Cap. In DC’s journey until the final, he claimed 30 wickets in 17 matches at an economy of 8.34. Currently, he is a mainstay bowler of the 2022 champions Gujarat Titans (GT).
