Kagiso Rabada is a South African cricketer who plays all formats as a right-arm fast bowler. He made his limited-overs debut in November 2014 and his Test debut in November 2015. By age 22, he was ranked the top bowler in both ODIs and Tests. In July 2018, he became the youngest bowler to take 150 Test wickets.
Rabada was part of the South African team that won the 2025 ICC World Test Championship, the country’s second ICC title. He has won multiple Cricket South Africa awards, including Cricketer of the Year, and was named Wisden’s best young player in 2018. He has taken hat-tricks in all three formats and is considered one of the best Test bowlers of his generation.
Kagiso Rabada Records and Achievements
Kagiso Rabada was the highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. On his ODI debut in July 2015 against Bangladesh, he took 6 for 16, including a hat-trick. Six months later, he became the youngest South African to take ten wickets in a Test against England. Before turning 23, he reached 100 Test wickets and collected three more ten-fors. He collected a ten-for against Australia in 2018, becoming the world’s No. 1 Test bowler.
In the IPL, Rabada was bought by Delhi Daredevils in 2017 for US$750,000 and later played for Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans. He finished as IPL 2020’s highest wicket-taker with 30 wickets. Rabada faced suspensions, and a heavy workload affected his performances in the 2019 World Cup. He returned with a five-for in St Lucia and joined the 300-Test wicket club in 2024.
In 2025, he took 14 wickets in South Africa’s 2–0 win in Bangladesh and nine wickets in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s, helping South Africa win their first ICC men’s title since 1998.
Kagiso Rabada Career Stats
In Tests, Kagiso Rabada has played 73 matches and taken 340 wickets. He has 17 five-wicket hauls and four ten-wicket matches. In ODIs, he has 168 wickets from 106 games, with a best of 6 for 16.
In T20Is, Rabada has 80 wickets in 75 matches, with a best of 3 for 18. His first-class record is impressive, with 415 wickets in 93 matches, including 20 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket matches.
In Tests, Rabada has scored 1,102 runs with a single fifty. In ODIs, he has 401 runs, while in T20Is, he has 184 runs. His first-class batting tally is 1,326 runs with one fifty.
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 73 | 340 | 7/112 | 15 | 17 | 4 |
| ODIs | 106 | 168 | 6/16 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| T20Is | 75 | 80 | 3/18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FC | 93 | 415 | 9/33 | 18 | 20 | 5 |
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 73 | 1102 | 0 | 1 | 139 | 20 |
| ODIs | 106 | 401 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 12 |
| T20Is | 75 | 184 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 6 |
| FC | 93 | 1326 | 0 | 1 | 170 | 24 |
Kagiso Rabada’s Personal Life
Kagiso Rabada grew up in a comfortable middle-class family in South Africa. His parents, Mpho and Florence, are professionals – a doctor and an asset management specialist – who made sure he appreciated what he had while also teaching him to help those less fortunate. Each Christmas, they took him to townships to hand out hampers to the needy.
Rabada showed early talent in multiple sports, playing rugby, soccer, tennis, and athletics between ages 11 and 14. By his mid-teens, he chose to focus on cricket, carrying a ball everywhere. He practiced with clear goals, using both new and old balls, and worked on length, yorkers, cutters, and slower deliveries, focusing on accuracy rather than the batter.
At school, he always strived to leave a mark, like trying to earn a tree on the cricket walkway at St. Stithians for five-wicket hauls. Even as a teenager, he bowled at levels matching senior provincial players and studied nutrition, training methods, and fundamentals to improve.
Outside cricket, Rabada co-founded Kingdom Kome Productions with Cameron Scott, producing a short film called The Ring of Beasts.
Kagiso Rabada Contract
Kagiso Rabada got his first central contract from Cricket South Africa while still a teenager, making him the youngest of 17 players to receive one at the time. He joined other first-time central contract players like Kyle Abbott and Aaron Phangiso.
Rabada made his T20 debut against Australia and took 14 wickets for 105 runs for the Lions against the Dolphins – breaking Dale Steyn’s previous record of 14 for 110. He is known for raw pace and aggressive bowling, earning praise from South Africa’s bowling coach Allan Donald as a “thoroughbred.”
Kagiso Rabada was retained by the Gujarat Titans for the IPL 2026. He was bought by the Gujarat Titans for INR 10.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction in Saudi Arabia. Punjab Kings, who had the option to retain him, chose not to, letting Gujarat secure him as their first pick of the auction.
FAQs
Q. When did Kagiso Rabada make his international debut?
A. Kagiso Rabada made his limited-overs international debut in November 2014.
Q. What record did Kagiso Rabada achieve in Test cricket?
A. Kagiso Rabada became the youngest bowler to take 150 wickets in Tests.
Q. What major ICC title has Kagiso Rabada won with South Africa?
A. Kagiso Rabada was part of the South African team that won the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final.
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