- May 7, 2025
Let’s be honest – when the Gujarat Titans announced, without any of the aplomb that usually comes with a significant player departing a team mid-season, that Kagiso Rabada would be leaving the IPL 2025 for personal reasons, it raised a few eyebrows. Simply for the fact that it is odd to have someone leave mid-season (which is on occasion), but mainly because it felt wrong. Until a few weeks later, the truth was revealed. Rabada had flunked a drug test in the SA20, and personal reasons were not a euphemism but a warning of an impending doping ban. That made for a pretty lively discussion: Is it just a kind way to deflect a bad situation by saying something personal? Or was it crossing the line where private matters and public accountability coexist?
Is Personal Losing Its Meaning?
The term personal reasons has become cricket’s version of a smokescreen. It is often thrown out there when nobody knows what to say, or when what they should say is too sensitive (or damaging) to say openly. And to be fair, sometimes people do deserve the space and empathy when they are battling through something; players with mental health struggles or experiencing family emergencies deserve that. But when there is also a doping violation as part of that? That’s an entirely different context.
While the application is extremely blunt, former Australia Test captain Tim Paine was certainly very vociferous in his disgust. The former Aussie skipper said that when the ‘personal bias issue’ is applied to Rabada, and you are talking about a failed drug test, you lessen the implications of the incident by referring to a failed drug test as something that is personal. Paine is right. When we refer to a range of serious issues with the same generic term, we reduce the impact of the language and confuse the audience.
Franchise vs Federation: Who Gets to Decide?
A new facet to this spicy saga? The disjointed governance of international cricket. Rabada failed his test while playing in the SA20, which was a South African domestic league. But by the time the news broke, Rabada was off to play in India. So, who is the one who leads on consequences? Well, it is Cricket South Africa, not the BCCI or IPL.
Gujarat Titans likely got notified that he’s out, and, without space for argument or clarification, bound to their original conclusion of having respect for what they were told. But should the IPL or the broader cricketing community just accept that level of opacity? With the proliferation of franchise leagues, players are travelling the world in ways that regulations can’t keep up with. We need a single body that is responsible for doping enforcement in all T20 leagues to avoid this sort of cross-border confusion
The PR Game: Reputation Management vs Responsibility
This narrative unravels a well-known struggle: image management versus authentic accountability. Let’s not delude ourselves – players’ reputation does matter. They’re brand ambassadors, franchise faces, and walk-through traffic. When a doping scandal surfaces, it tarnishes not just the player but the sponsors, the fan experience, and ultimately, the league franchise. This is why teams or boards will talk of “personal reasons” to lessen the impact.
Rabada is classified as a quiet, humble fellow who takes everything on the chin. But admitting his mistake publicly—without trying to spin it for Rabada’s sake—allows everyone to move on. If cricket wants to be seen as a professional sport with very high standards, it needs to talk about these issues more honestly and clearly.
What do you think, was calling it ‘personal reasons’ fair play or just a way to dodge the hard questions?
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