South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada left IPL 2025 midway to return home after testing positive for cocaine use. A South African media outlet revealed that Rabada used cocaine before the start of the SA20 league.
A Look at Other Cricketers Who Struggled with Substance Abuse
Rabada isn’t the first cricketer to face issues with substance abuse. Here are a few examples:
- Former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli struggled with cocaine, drugs, and alcohol addiction during his playing days. He played 17 Tests and 104 ODIs before his career was cut short due to substance abuse issues.
- Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years in 2006 after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. Akhtar denied using performance-enhancing drugs but refused to undergo a second test.
Other cricketers who have struggled with substance abuse include Shane Warne, Herschelle Gibbs, Stephen Fleming, and Andrew Symonds.
A Turning Point for Some
Some cricketers have managed to overcome their struggles with substance abuse. For example, Pakistani legend Wasim Akram revealed in his autobiography that he became addicted to drugs after retiring from cricket. He overcame his addiction after his first wife, Huma, passed away in 2009.