IPL 2025: Rabada set for return, protocols followed strictly, says Solanki

Gujarat Titans' Kagiso Rabada is set to make a comeback in the IPL after serving a one-month suspension with all procedures regarding the South Africa pacer's recreational drug use being "followed to the letter", said the franchise's director of cricket Vikram Solanki on Monday.

Rabada was handed a one-month suspension for recreational drug use while playing for the MI Cape Town in the SA20 tournament in January this year. He was informed about failing the drug test on April 1, and two days later, GT announced that Rabada had returned home for "personal reasons". 

The South African Institute for Drug Free Sports (SAIDS) on Monday said Rabada had completed a "substance abuse treatment program", making him available for participation in the IPL.

"With Kagiso, as far as tomorrow's match is concerned, the fact is he is now available, given all of the decisions that have been taken and whatever has transpired over the past month or so," Solanki told the media during GT's training session here at the Wankhede Stadium.

"Kagiso has expressed regret at an error in judgement. He's made a telling statement."  "He has expressed regret, as I said, but is very much looking forward to getting back to playing the game he loves. He will take his sort of lessons from this and we're just looking forward to having him back at practice," Solanki said.

Solanki asserted that all procedures were followed by the concerned parties in this case as the 29-year-old Rabada trained with Gujarat Titans ahead of their clash against Mumbai Indians.

"As far as procedure and protocol is concerned, everybody that's been involved in this episode, right from Kagiso, his representatives, all matters as far as requirements have been followed to the letter," he said.

"We tried to be mindful of the emotion around Kagiso as well. He's now back, having served the time, (a) suspension for 30 days and what we're looking for now is for him to just be back doing what he loves, and for him to be doing stuff that we appreciate him doing and that is to be part of the cricket team." 

  Solanki admitted such instances could be distracting but added that Rabada wants the team to keep their focus on cricket while he deals with the matter on an individual basis.

"It is easy to get distracted and one of the things he's (Rabada) made very clear is that he doesn't want this episode to distract anybody," Solanki said.

"As far as the team is concerned, he spoke very eloquently about the fact that this is something he's dealing with. It's not a matter as far as the team is concerned. The team will of course support it.

"It's our job to support the players we have, whether it be on a matter of form or it be on personal matters like this."  "He's spent some time understanding how much he actually loves playing this game and the message certainly in the conversations I've had with him is that he doesn't want to take playing this game he loves for granted," Solanki added.

When asked if the one-month suspension as punishment was enough, Solanki vehemently rejected the query.

"The procedure is not laid out by any individual. The procedure is in place regardless of any individual or any certain circumstances," he said. 

"Circumstances were such that this was deemed the appropriate. We don't have any sort of control of that. It is the authorities that have control of the sanctions and what exactly the procedure must be."  "There is a set of rules and the rules are in place for a reason. If the rules are in place for a reason, they apply to one person as much as they apply to the next and if the findings are such that it has been deemed appropriate for him to serve a one-month sentence, then that is the right thing to do," he added.