Delhi: Former Australian captain and wicketkeeper batsman Tim Paine has fiercely targeted South African veteran fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. Rabada recently withdrew the name from the tournament, citing “personal reasons” in the middle of the tournament, playing for the Gujarat Titans (GT) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. However, he later admitted that the decision was taken after a positive report on the consumption of a ‘recreational drug’.
Rabada said in a statement, “As reported, I decided to move away from IPL to South Africa for personal reasons.”
He further said, “I apologize deeply to all the people I have disappointed. I will never take this good fortune of playing cricket. It is much larger than my personal goals. Moving forward, I will not let this one moment be allowed to be my identity. I will keep working hard as before and will continue to move forward with passion and dedication towards my game.”
Tim Paine questioned Rabada’s words
Tim Penn has reacted strongly to Rabada’s “Personal Issue” comment. At the breakfast show of Australia’s Sen Radio, Penn said, “This whole thing seems smelly. I do not like the word ‘personal issue’, especially when it is being used to hide something that is not a personal matter. If a professional player is found positive for entertaining drugs during a tournament, then it is not a personal issue, but it is not a personal issue.”
Penn further said, “Taking drugs – whether it is entertaining or performing performance, is not a private case that can be hidden for a month. The player is removed from the IPL, he is sent to South Africa and then the issue is suppressed. Then when he completes his ban, he is rejoined. It is not the right way.”
Meanwhile, Rabada has now returned to India again and has said that he is excited about playing cricket again. He played two matches for the Gujarat Titans in this IPL season, in which he took two wickets, then he returned to Johannesburg.
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(Tagstotranslate) Gujarat Titans (T) IPL 2025 (T) Kagiso Rabada (T) South African National Cricket Team (T) Tim Paine