Kagiso Rabada

It's generally the young tearaway pacers that make headlines solely for their fiery speed and intimidating bounce. Kagiso Rabada is as close as it gets to an 'optimum combination'. So when 20-year-old Kagiso Rabada made his debut against India in November 2015, the general consensus was the usual "great potential if honed suitably". What followed was a pleasant surprise for the South African team - a prodigy who assured them with his performances that the future of the nation's fast bowling was in good hands.

Rewind to the 2014 Under-19 World Cup: the name Rabada came into the limelight as he brutalized the Australian line-up with a spell of 6/25, constantly hitting the mid-140s. After propelling his side to the final of the tournament with his miserly and penetrative bowling, he ended the tournament as his side's highest wicket-taker. His astonishing performances did not go unnoticed as he was awarded a contract with the Highveld Lions upon his return to South Africa with the elusive Cup of glory.

Under the mentorship of Gordon Parsons, Chris Morris and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the Lions, the quick-learner rose rapidly through the ranks and soon found himself traveling to Australia with the South Africa A side. His hunger for progress did not stop as he continued to catch the eye of the selectors, getting his first international opportunity in a T20 match against Australia in November 2014. He had a good outing, picking up the wicket of Glenn Maxwell on debut. His ODI debut followed shortly after against Bangladesh and immediately rewrote the history books, taking a hat-trick against a clueless Bangladesh side and ending up with 6 for 16 - the best bowling figures of all time on ODI debut.

An injury-stricken Steyn presented Rabada with bowling opportunities in the tour of India in 2015. He stole the show immediately in ODIs, bowling with maturity far beyond his years, and notably keeping last-over specialist MS Dhoni in check with 5 dots in the final over of the Indore ODI, and making a celebrated Indian line-up uncomfortable. Consequently, he was handed a Test debut during the Test series that followed in India. He didn't quite make the red SG ball talk as much as he did the Kookaburra. The dustbowls didn't help much either, as South Africa resorted to bowling their spinners far more than the pacers, rendering the young seam bowler futile.

Nevertheless, with the Dukes ball in hand, Rabada announced himself on the green seamers in England, consistently flummoxing the hapless Englishmen and ending the tour with a flabbergasting three five-wicket hauls in six innings. Having achieved the near impossible task of filling the shoes of arguably the greatest fast bowler in the world, Rabada marched on and played a major role in South Africa's 2-1 drubbing of the Australians in their own backyard.

Rabada is armed with the ability to swing the ball conventionally, though he prefers to make it seam off the wicket with the scrambled seam deliveries, especially when the seam is prominent and likely to cause deviations off the surface. He also possesses the pace to reverse-swing the ball against the direction of the seam, with the old ball and new, and has already wreaked havoc with the old ball several times in his brief Test career. At such a young age, these skills and the control and consistency he bowls with makes him a valuable asset to the South African side - one worth counting on in the long run.

His on-field conduct, however, has been questionable, as he has been accused and reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct multiple times, and even copped a ban (which was then reversed upon appeal) in the 2018 home series against Australia for shouldering Steven Smith on his way to celebrating the latter's wicket with his team-mates. He ended up picking up 11 wickets in the match and single-handedly drew level with Australia 1-1 after a gutting loss in the first Test.

South Africa's efforts to contest the charges against Rabada exhibited the value of the young man in the team. With a limited Philander, an injured Steyn, and an aging Morkel (playing his final series), Rabada has become the linchpin in the South African bowling line-up. All of 22 years old, and having already carved himself an image in the international arena, Rabada looked like a focused individual who could scale inconceivable heights in future, barring any major injuries.

He was their strike bowler for the 2019 World Cup, but that was a tournament where South Africa largely underperformed. Post the World Cup, with Morkel and Steyn retiring, Rabada seamlessly filled into their shoes and formed a good partnership with the new crop of pacers like Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen.

KG has been a consistent performer for South Africa irrespective of the formats, with bowling averages under 30 in both Tests and ODI cricket. In the 2021 T20I World Cup, Rabada became the first South African bowler to pick a hat-trick in that format as he achieved that feat against England. In 2022, he picked up an inspired fifer at Lord’s in a Test match, paving the way for South Africa to become the first team to dent England’s Bazball revolution.

Still fairly young with an incredible fitness record, Kagiso Rabada’s glass ceiling could be really, really high if he can keep performing this way for South Africa.

IPL Through the Years

The rise of Rabada had certainly caught a few eyes by this point as he fetched Rs. 5 crore at the IPL auction in 2017, to play for Delhi Daredevils, and for 4.2 crore at the 2019 auction as the Daredevils used their RTM card to retain their bowling jewel. Rabada and Delhi Capitals were synonymous for a long time, as he proved to be a dependable performer in the competition.

Bowling two upfront and two in the death, Rabada was generally a wicket bank for Delhi. He picked 25 wickets in the 2019 season, and bettered that with 30 wickets in the 2020 season - claiming the Purple Cap as DC reached the finals for the first time. Rabada’s wickets tally took a hit in the 2021 season, as he could only manage 15 wickets. With this poor return and also a worrying economy rate, and the growing popularity of countryman Anrich Nortje, Delhi Capitals decided to let KG go ahead of the 2022 IPL mega auction, paving the way for Punjab Kings to swoop in and pick up for a lofty price. Rabada continues to be a dependable wicket-taker in the competition, but his rising economy rate and an inability to nail the yorker with the same potency has been a cause for concern.