Kagiso Rabada is one of the finest bowlers in world cricket. The South Africa pacer has been lethal in Test matches where there pace and bounce. He was a key factor for South Africa’s maiden World Test Championship title as they defeated Australia last year. Rabada will be seen in action during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The Proteas speedster will be featuring for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL. He has been a well-known name in the IPL since starting his career with the Delhi Capitals. Kagiso Rabada will use all his IPL experience and try to bowl well in the shortest format of the game. The 30-year-old pacer picked 2 wickets from the four games he played.
He was probably the most conventional- Kagiso Rabada
Ahead of this season, Kagiso Rabada has heap praised former India captain Virat Kohli, terming him the most relentless Test batter he has ever bowled at. Kohli and Rabada have had a duel across formats in IPL and in international cricket as well. Speaking Fast Bowling Cartel podcast, Rabada revealed about Virat Kohli’s consistency under pressure.
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Rabada said, “He was probably the most conventional — he wouldn’t necessarily hurt you, but you’d look up at the scoreboard and he’d made an impact. When you got him out, you’d really earned his wicket.”
Rabada highlighted Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson as the four batters who had been “the most consistent for the longest time” in his international career. However, he omitted Virat Kohli’s name from the list of the most dangerous batters in international cricket.
He could hurt you- Kagiso Rabada on dangerous batter
Rabada picked his former Australia opener, David Warner, as the most dangerous batter he has ever bowled to. He said, “If you weren’t on, he could hurt you. He scored in funny areas. You had to be really on it to earn his wicket.”
Kagiso Rabada also discussed the negative side of T20 cricket and what it demands from the fast bowlers. The pacer added, “With 60-metre boundaries and no real bounce, skidding on you almost have to have some sort of mystery.”
It kind of nullifies- Rabada
He pointed to technology as having fundamentally shifted the balance of power. He admitted that the traditional fast bowler’s stock delivery is becoming ineffective in the shortest format.
“People are literally analyzing everything you do. Batsmen get on bowling machines and just learn how to slog a length. It kind of nullifies your traditional length bowler. You almost have to use more of your one-day skills and develop skills that are going to deceive the batter.”
Kagiso Rabada will be in action for GT on March 31 against his former franchise Punjab Kings (PBKS). The pacer was decent in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, as he picked 5 wickets from seven matches in the major tournament. He will look to spearhead the GT bowling attack and pick wickets with the new ball and in death overs as well.
Also Read: “Their batting is a 10”: Ex-CSK opener hails SRH’s batting ahead of IPL 2026