The departure of Kagiso Rabada, their star fast bowler, has dealt a cruel blow to Gujarat Titans (GT). Rabada has taken leave from the team to attend to personal matters. The South African pacer has been sighted in his home country; however, the franchise has not given any indication when he would return. In an official statement, the team confirmed Rabada’s departure: “to address an important personal matter.”
Rabada played for the Titans in season 18, participating in the first two matches of this lucrative league. He got one wicket against the Punjab Kings in a GT lost match, giving away 41 runs. In what could be termed a crucial breakthrough, Rabada denied Hardik Pandya his runs against Mumbai Indians as the Titans marched on to victory.
Rabada missed playing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Wednesday, April 2 of Gujarat’s just-completed match. He was replaced by left-arm seam specialist Arshad Khan, who made a memorable impact by departing Virat Kohli. The Titans won this match convincingly by eight wickets, thus entering the top four contenders in the IPL 2025 points table. The GT had fielded only three overseas players in this match, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, and Sherfane Rutherford.
Rutherford was brought in as the Impact Player and remarkably shared an unbeaten partnership of 63 off 32 with Buttler which clinched victory. In the Gujarat Titans squad, the other foreign players besides Rabada are Glenn Phillips and Gerald Coetzee. While Phillips awaits his IPL 2025 debut, Coetzee’s fitness seems to be a matter of concern.
If we look at his making of a great history, the only other bowler along with Bravo and Patel who has crossed the 30-wicket in one season is Kagiso Rabada. Nonetheless, Rabada was a strong contender for Purple Cap Race in IPL 2025.
Following an initial loss, Gujarat has bounced into two strong victories. They currently find themselves in fourth place in the points table, behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Delhi Capitals (DC).
