11-05-2025
Kagiso Rabada Tested Positive For Cocaine, Legal Team Helped Avoid Lengthy Ban
A report claims that Kagiso Rabada's one-month ban midway into IPL 2025 was after traces of a cocaine-based metabolite was discovered during a drug test.
Cricketing fans were left perplexed when the South African pacer, Kagiso Rabada, opted to leave the squad midway through the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League without any details regarding his reasons.
The release by the IPL mentioned that the bowler flew back home citing 'personal reasons'. But a statement by the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) mentioned that the bowler had travelled back home after an adverse finding for the use of a recreational drug and was serving a provisional suspension for this violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency code.
But a report by Rapport sheds light on the drug that is in question. The report claims that as per the urine sample provided by the cricketer on January 21, 2025, after the SA20 fixture between MI Cape Town and the Durban Super Giants at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban, 'traces of benzoylecgonine (BZE), a metabolite of cocaine' were detected.
advetisement
Usually when an athlete is known to be using drugs, it can result in a lengthy ban but the CEO of South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS), Khalid Grant was quoted appreciating the manner in which Rabada and his legal team went about the whole issue, which could have been a big blot in his career.
'He was smart to go down that route. If you know you did it, it saves you time and legal fees," he was quoted as saying.
His legal-team were able to prove the the usage of the drug was out of competition based on the concentration of the metabolite which was less than 1000 nanograms per millilitre. This meant that as per WADA code, his ban would be reduced to a month.
The bowler had also released a statement regarding the whole issue but did not openly admit to the usage of drugs. He remains committed to maintaining his professional standards as an athlete and wants to make a quick return to the sport.
For the moment, the Indian Premier League has been suspended due to the ongoing India-Pakistan military tensions and is in the works to be restarted soon. It remains to be seen whether certain areas like Dharamsala, Jaipur, and others will continue to host games, considering the possibility of blackouts within the respective states.
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First Published:
May 11, 2025, 16:30 IST
