Kagiso Rabada

Having begun his career under the tutelage of South Africa’s greatest fast-bowling generation, Kagiso Rabada now stands at the very top of his discipline as one of the finest fast-bowlers in world cricket. A fiery and combative character, his strong bowling action has made him one of the quickest and most consistent bowlers in world cricket, allowing him to take wickets and remain economical while doing so.

Early career — breaking through

Kagiso Rabada made his domestic debut for Gauteng at the age of 18, and was soon drafted into the squad for the U-19 World Cup in 2014. He was one of the standout players at that tournament, as his pace and accuracy led to 14 wickets, including a 6-wicket haul against the Australian unit in the semifinals. South Africa went on to win the trophy, and Rabada had come out onto the scene as the heir to the likes of Dale Steyn.

International debuts

Those performances quickly earned Rabada his international caps, as he was called up for the T20 series against Australia late in 2014. He would have to wait until July 2015 for his ODI debut, but would make an immediate impact as he took 6/16 on debut against Bangladesh, including a hat-trick.

His Test debut would be against India in Mohali in 2015, stepping into the ranks following injuries to the established pace order. Over the next few years, Rabada would form a phenomenal bowling group with Steyn, Vernon Philander, and Dale Steyn, and impressive numbers would prepare him for taking over the mantle in recent years.

IPL — excellence with Delhi

Kagiso Rabada’s talents would be picked up by Delhi Daredevils in 2017, and he would become a cornerstone of the exciting young Delhi team as they became one of the more successful teams between 2019 and 2021.

As the leader of that bowling attack, Kagiso Rabada became a prolific wicket-taker, taking 70 wickets in 44 matches with an average of 19.6. This included the purple cap in the 2020 season, matching the feat of Morne Morkel for Delhi in the 2012 season.

He would join Punjab Kings in the mega-auction, and contribute with 23 wickets in 13 matches in his first season. His following seasons haven’t reached those heights as he has become slightly expensive in the format, but Rabada will be looking to get back to his best in the tournament.

Records and achievements

Kagiso Rabada established himself as South Africa’s best player in this generation as he picked up South African player of the year in 2016 and 2018. His career Test strike-rate of 39.42 makes him the only bowler with a strike-rate below 40 with over 50 Test matches under their belt. He became the second-fastest bowler in terms of balls to reach 250 wickets, only behind Dale Steyn, and is set to overtake Steyn as the fastest to 300 wickets by that metric as well.

Kagiso Rabada has been an utterly dominant and incessantly consistent bowler throughout his Test career, and is considered to stand at the very top of his generation when it comes to pacers. Still shy of his 30th birthday, good fitness luck should see the man from Johannesburg streak up the all-time wickets lists and add many a record to his name.