Kagiso Rabada's consistency over the years at the IPL is unparalleled.
Consistent performer
Kagiso Rabada has always been in and around the Purple cap since he first started playing the IPL. Rabada's first IPL season was in 2017 and he really started to come into his own from 2019 onwards when he picked up 25 wickets from just 12 matches at an average of 14.72 and an economy rate of 7.82.
In the next season, Rabada maintained an average of 18.26 and an economy rate of 8.34. He had another impressive year in the IPL in 2021 when he took 15 wickets at an average of 30.40 and an economy rate of 8.14.
Starring for DC
He had a brilliant partnership with Anrich Nortje and the two played a massive role in Delhi Capitals qualifying for the playoffs on a consistent basis under the stewardship of Ricky Ponting.
Rabada must have been a little disappointed when he was not retained by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions. But, given that every franchise could only retain 3 players, their hands were tied.
New team, same result
He went to Punjab Kings in IPL 2022 and produced another impressive season with the ball. He took 23 wickets from 13 matches at an average of 17.65 and an economy rate of 8.46. Along with Arshdeep Singh, he two made life very difficult for the batters.
Unfortunately, the team could not get the support of other players as Punjab wasn't able to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2022 despite the heroics of the South African pacer.
Best in Tests
Rabada is a force not only in T20 cricket but in test cricket as well. We saw how he troubled the Indian batters on the team's last test tour to the nation where despite having a very good side, which was perhaps better than South Africa on a man to man basis even in their own conditions, Rabada did not allow India to get away.
India ended up losing the series by 2-1 and let a golden opportunity of winning their first ever test series in South Africa slip away which also led to Virat Kohli giving up test captaincy and directly or indirectly played a major role in shaping the direction of Indian cricket and retaining South Africa's proud record at home.
