Revised Explanation: Reason Behind Kagiso Rabada's One-Month Doping Penalty
Here's a refreshed take on Kagiso Rabada's IPL comeback:
With a month-long break behind him for recreational drug use, Kagiso Rabada rocks up at the Gujarat Titans for the 2025 IPL battle.
His wheels touched down back in the country after just two games in the league, and the reason for his abrupt departure was simply dubbed "personal reasons". The real deal? Well, one can't keep secrets from the world of cricket for long. Turns out, Rabada had tested positive for recreational drugs and was serving a time-out for that.
So, with January 1, 2025 marking the start of his one-month ban, Rabada's back in the game. Kinda. He wasn't a part of Tuesday's tussle against the Mumbai Indians, with captain Shubman Gill explaining that Rabada needed a bit of practice to get back in his element.
No sweat, he's good to go for the World Test Championship final next month at Lord's against Australia.
What's the story with Rabada's time-out?
Remember way back when WADA recognized that substances used outside sports aren't exactly rare? They labeled those as Substances of Abuse. Well, Rabada landed himself in hot water under this category.
So, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) confirmed that they'd tested Rabada following the SA20 clash between MI Cape Town and the Durban Super Giants on January 21, 2025.
Thing is, the specific substance wasn't revealed. We're talking about banned goodies like cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and THC, just to name a few.
The SAIDS Code spells out the deal, especially in Article 10.2.4.1. If Rabada can prove he snorted that funnie after hours and not to flex his pitching prowess, he's looking at a three-month break. But if he plays his cards right and attends a treatment program, that term could get knocked down to a month.
His test, however, was taken within the "in-competition" window, from 11.59 pm the day prior to the SA20 kick-off on January 10 to the actual commencement. But it's still unclear whether Rabada got his groove on during the competition or if he stashed it away before the SA20 started. Certain substances can linger in the body for over 90 days, don't you know—with those sneaky urine tests marking them up to 30 days and hair follicular tests catching them for up to 90 days.
Looking at the fine print, Rabada probably downed those Substances of Abuse out of competition. That earns him a medium sentence. But he did play ball and signed up for an education and awareness program, thus getting his ban shortened to a month.
Former WADA bigwig David Howman applauded the thoughtful approach in Rabada's case. "This outcome now falls under the pragmatism category, where WADA accepts that it's a player welfare issue," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. "Some of these things—because they are so prevalent in society—are going to be in sports, and you've got to look at each case on an individual basis. The outcome that was reached in the Rabada case was pretty sensible."
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- The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) confirmed that Kagiso Rabada tested positive for a banned substance following the SA20 clash between MI Cape Town and the Durban Super Giants on January 21, 2025.
- The specific substance wasn't revealed, but it falls under the category of Substances of Abuse, which WADA recognizes as not uncommon outside sports.
- The SAIDS Code states that if Rabada can prove he consumed the substance after hours and not to enhance his pitching performance, he could serve a three-month ban. However, if he attends a treatment program, the term could be reduced to a month.
- Rabada's test was taken within the "in-competition" window, from 11.59 pm the day prior to the SA20 kick-off on January 10 to the actual commencement. It's still unclear whether he used the substance during the competition or before it started.
