IPL playerSouth Africa2017 to 2026
Kagiso Rabada
On scorecards: K Rabada · Right-hand bat
Kagiso Rabada, a bowler, has played nine IPL seasons for three franchises. In nine seasons the title has not yet come.
The arrival
Kagiso Rabada arrived through the auction: Delhi Daredevils paid ₹5.0 cr, against a base price of ₹1.0 cr.
That first season brought 6 matches, 55 runs and 6 wickets at 8.68 an over.
The peak
The best season was 2020, for Delhi Capitals: 32 wickets at 8.27 runs an over, while the league's bowlers went for 8.14, with best figures of 4 for 24. Five seasons brought 15 wickets or more (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2026).
Franchise by franchise
2017 to 2021, Delhi Daredevils. Bought at the 2017 auction for ₹5.0 cr. 50 matches, 138 runs and 79 wickets.
2022 to 2024, Punjab Kings. Bought at the 2022 auction for ₹9.25 cr. 30 matches and 41 wickets.
2025 to 2026, Gujarat Titans. Bought at the 2025 auction for ₹10.75 cr. 21 matches and 31 wickets.
3 spells with three franchises in all. The longest was with Delhi Daredevils, 2017 to 2021. 2018 is missing from the record: a season without an IPL appearance.
How the wickets came
With the ball, 151 wickets in 2,312 deliveries, at 8.74 runs an over against a league rate of 8.64 for the same seasons, right on the going rate. There were six four-wicket hauls, and the best figures were 4 for 21.
39.4% of the balls Kagiso Rabada bowled were dots, a higher share than 78% of the 150 bowlers with 500 balls or more; a wicket came every 15.2 balls.
The fielding record: 31 catches and 3 run-outs.
At the auction
Kagiso Rabada has gone under the hammer four times. The highest price was ₹10.75 cr, paid by Gujarat Titans in 2025, more than 5 times the base price. The price climbed with the reputation: ₹5.0 cr in 2017, ₹10.75 cr by 2025. Being bought did not always mean playing: no match followed for Delhi Daredevils in 2018.
Seasons without an auction entry were played under a retention, a trade or a signing made outside the auction.
Where it stands
On the all-time IPL lists, among 809 players, Kagiso Rabada stands 12th for wickets. The story is still being written: 2026 was another season with Gujarat Titans.
Season by season
| Season | Team | M | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50/100 | Wkts | Econ | Best | Ct | POTM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 6 | 55 | 44 | 18.3 | 85.9 | 0/0 | 6 | 8.68 | 2/20 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | Delhi Capitals | 12 | 14 | 9 | 4.7 | 93.3 | 0/0 | 26 | 7.81 | 4/21 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Delhi Capitals | 17 | 56 | 15* | 18.7 | 114.3 | 0/0 | 32 | 8.27 | 4/24 | 8 | ||
| 2021 | Delhi Capitals | 15 | 13 | 9* | – | 216.7 | 0/0 | 15 | 8.07 | 3/36 | 6 | ||
| 2022 | Punjab Kings | 13 | 48 | 25 | 9.6 | 111.6 | 0/0 | 23 | 8.37 | 4/33 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Punjab Kings | 6 | 0 | 0* | 0.0 | – | 0/0 | 7 | 9.87 | 2/34 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Punjab Kings | 11 | 20 | 11* | 20.0 | 142.9 | 0/0 | 11 | 8.86 | 2/18 | 5 | ||
| 2025 | Gujarat Titans | 4 | 9 | 7* | 9.0 | 112.5 | 0/0 | 2 | 11.57 | 1/41 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 47 | 23* | 23.5 | 123.7 | 0/0 | 29 | 9.68 | 3/25 | 5 | 2 |
Franchise journey
- Delhi Daredevils: 2017 to 2021
- Punjab Kings: 2022 to 2024
- Gujarat Titans: 2025 to 2026
Ball-by-ball detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Dot balls faced | 44.8% |
| Balls per four | 11.4 |
| Balls per six | 21.7 |
| Dot balls bowled | 39.4% |
| Balls per wicket | 15.2 |
| Catches | 31 |
| Run-outs | 3 |
| Stumpings | 0 |
At the auction
| Auction | Set | Base price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | – | ₹1.0 cr | Sold to Delhi Daredevils for ₹5.0 cr |
| 2018 | FA1 | ₹1.5 cr | Sold to Delhi Daredevils for ₹4.2 cr |
| 2022 | M | ₹2.0 cr | Sold to Punjab Kings for ₹9.25 cr |
| 2025 | M1 | ₹2.0 cr | Sold to Gujarat Titans for ₹10.75 cr |
Sources
- CricArcade IPL season statistics
- CricArcade IPL auction archive
- Kaggle IPL Complete Match Dataset 2008-2026, ball-by-ball, cross-checked against Cricsheet