South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada has come under the scanner after Gujarat Titans’ defeat at the hands of Punjab Kings in their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 in Mullanpur.
Rabada has experienced a noticeable dip in form in recent IPL seasons, a stark contrast to his dominant Purple Cap-winning campaign in 2020. Back then, Rabada combined wicket-taking prowess with control, maintaining an economy rate of 8.34. He followed it up with similarly disciplined performances in IPL 2021
and 2022, keeping his economy comfortably under 8.50.
However, the last three seasons leading into IPL 2026 have painted a different picture. Rabada has conceded runs at 10.09, 8.86, and 11.57 respectively, while managing just 20 wickets in 21 matches during this phase. His struggles appeared to continue in the ongoing season, where he returned figures of 3-0-34-1 in Indian Premier League 2026.
Reflecting on Rabada’s struggles, Dale Steyn observed that the South African pacer seems to be searching for answers in his bowling at the moment.
"Just by the eye, it looks like he hasn't kind of performed as well as one would hope he would," Steyn was quoted as saying by Espncrinfo.
Steyn also drew a comparison with Marco Jansen, who has been on the rise with consistent performances. Jansen’s recent outing of 1/20 for PBKS highlighted his ability to stick to his strengths, something Steyn believes Rabada has struggled with lately.
"On the flipside of things, you've got Jansen, who just seems to be getting better and better. He's starting to play for teams that are winning more trophies - for Sunrises Eastern Cape, they've won the [SA20 league] three out of four years now. I feel that adds a sense of, like a belief that you can do it at the highest level. And Jansen has now certainly started to step up where KG hasn't had as many medals or trophies or anything like that and his performance has kind of leaned in the same direction," said Steyn.
He further emphasised that despite the poor form, he is hoping for a strong comeback from his former colleague.
"I'm hoping that this is the season that he can really stand up because he is a real wicket-taker, he's once won the purple cap so he knows what it's about. But can he - again, we are talking about those inches - find something else in his game just to go a step ahead? Because we've seen him be naughty: had his foot over the line in games that he should have closed out and things like that, where you just feel... But maybe he's just short of a couple wickets and maybe just a bit of luck and hopefully the season could be that season for him,” he concluded.
The Gujarat-based franchise will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on April 4.
