Kagiso Rabada has 148 wickets in 101 IPL matches at an average of 22.69 — and he just added the 2026 Purple Cap to his 2020 crown, finishing as the season’s leading wicket-taker with 29 scalps for Gujarat Titans. Here’s the complete career breakdown, every record he holds, and exactly where KG Rabada sits in the conversation about the greatest overseas pace bowlers in IPL history.
Quick Answer
Kagiso Rabada (born 25 May 1995, Johannesburg) plays for Gujarat Titans as a right-arm fast bowler. Career IPL: 148 wickets in 101 matches at avg 22.69, econ 8.80, best 4/21. Two-time Purple Cap winner (2020, 2026). Fastest bowler in IPL history to 100 wickets (64 matches). Auction price: ₹10.75 Cr (2025 auction).
From Johannesburg to Two Purple Caps — Rabada’s IPL Story
Delhi Daredevils spotted something special in the 21-year-old Proteas quick and paid ₹5 crore for him ahead of IPL 2017. Six wickets in six games didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Then a back injury wiped out the 2018 edition entirely — and at that point, it wasn’t clear whether IPL would ever see the best of Rabada at all.
He came back in 2019 like the break never happened. Twenty-five wickets from 12 matches at an average of 14.72 and a strike rate of 11.28 — those are freakish numbers for a pace bowler in T20 cricket. He missed the Purple Cap by just one wicket, having returned home before the playoffs. The frustration clearly lit a fire: in 2020, playing in a UAE bubble for a Delhi Capitals side that reached its first ever IPL final, Rabada was simply unstoppable. Thirty wickets at 18.26 in the UAE conditions, where the pitches offered swing, and Rabada used every trick — yorkers into the blockhole, back-of-length cutters, bouncers at 145kph — to take the Purple Cap he’d narrowly missed a year earlier.
The 2022–2024 Punjab Kings stint was more mixed. He arrived at PBKS with 23 wickets in his debut season for the franchise, but injuries and a doping-related ban chipped away at his availability. Gujarat Titans paid ₹10.75 crore to bring him in for 2025, only to see him leave after four games for personal reasons. In 2026, finally healthy and settled, Rabada had the dominant season everyone had been waiting for since 2020 — 29 wickets in 17 matches, including an IPL-record 18 powerplay wickets in a single edition, and a second Purple Cap to go alongside the first.
📊 The Numbers Behind the Career
Among all bowlers with 100-plus IPL wickets, Rabada’s career average of 22.69 ranks third-best behind Lasith Malinga (19.79) and Jasprit Bumrah (21.03). His strike rate of 15.5 is the sharpest of any overseas pacer in that elite 100-wicket club. More tellingly, when you strip out the 2018 injury miss, 2023 limited-overs absence, and 2025 personal leave — every season where he was fit and available, Rabada took at least 15 wickets. That consistency over nearly a decade is what separates him from every other foreign quick in IPL history.
Kagiso Rabada IPL Career — Season by Season
| Season | Team | M | Wickets | Avg | Econ | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Delhi Daredevils | 6 | 6 | 31.33 | 8.81 | 2/20 |
| 2018 | — | — | — | Missed (back injury) | ||
| 2019 | Delhi Capitals | 12 | 25 | 14.72 | 7.82 | 4/21 |
| 2020 | Delhi Capitals | 17 | 30 | 18.26 | 8.34 | 4/24 |
| 2021 | Delhi Capitals | 15 | 15 | 25.53 | 8.14 | 3/35 |
| 2022 | Punjab Kings | 13 | 23 | 22.00 | 8.46 | 4/33 |
| 2023 | Punjab Kings | 6 | 7 | 30.28 | 10.09 | 2/30 |
| 2024 | Punjab Kings | 11 | 11 | 29.45 | 8.80 | 3/28 |
| 2025 | Gujarat Titans | 4 | 2 | — | — | 1/18 |
| 2026 | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 29 | 21.58 | 9.68 | 3/25 |
| Total | — | 101 | 148 | 22.69 | 8.80 | 4/21 |
The Defining Spell — 30 Wickets in Dubai, 2020
IPL 2020, played across the UAE due to the pandemic, was the season Rabada became a genuine IPL legend rather than just a good overseas signing. Playing in conditions that suited him — the ball swung in the evening desert air, and the pitches had genuine pace — Rabada was lethal across all 17 DC matches. His 30 wickets at 18.26 remains the second-highest wicket tally in a single IPL season by any overseas bowler, and he went 10 consecutive matches taking two or more wickets, breaking Lasith Malinga’s previous record of eight.
The most extraordinary match of that run came against Kings XI Punjab in the group stage. Needing to defend 10 runs in a Super Over, Rabada bowled six consecutive yorkers — six out of six deliveries — giving away just two runs and dismissing KL Rahul. In a format where the Super Over had ended careers and reputations, he turned it into a demonstration of pure skill.
🏆 Kagiso Rabada’s IPL Records
Fastest to 100 IPL wickets: 64 matches — broke Lasith Malinga’s record of 70 matches (April 2023). Most consecutive matches with 2+ wickets: 10 in a row during IPL 2020, breaking Malinga’s 8. Two-time Purple Cap winner: 2020 (DC, 30 wkts) and 2026 (GT, 29 wkts). Most powerplay wickets in a single IPL edition: 18 in IPL 2026. Third-best average among 100+ wicket bowlers: 22.69, behind only Malinga and Bumrah.
IPL 2026 — Rabada’s Career Resurrection
After two disrupted seasons in 2023–25 — just 20 wickets across three campaigns — the 2026 season was the one that answered every question. Back fully fit, settled into the Gujarat Titans system, and bowling with the control that had been missing in those PBKS seasons, Rabada took 29 wickets in 17 matches including 18 powerplay wickets — the most by any bowler in a single IPL edition. His average of 21.58 across the campaign was his best since the 2020 Purple Cap season. GT reached the final where they lost to RCB, but Rabada’s personal tally was his second-best in any IPL season.
Delhi Capitals Era (2019–2021)
- 70 wickets in 44 matches
- Average: 18.93
- Economy: 8.06
- 1 Purple Cap (2020)
- DC reached IPL final 2020
- Best spell: 4/21 vs CSK
GT/PBKS Era (2022–2026)
- 72 wickets in 51 matches
- Average: 26.14
- Economy: 9.02
- 1 Purple Cap (2026)
- Disrupted by injuries, bans
- Best spell: 4/33 vs MI 2022
The stats war between Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah for “greatest overseas/non-Indian pace bowler in IPL history” ends with Bumrah still ahead on career average — but Rabada’s 2026 Purple Cap changes the conversation. Bumrah has never had a season where he led the wickets chart in dominant fashion across a full 17-match campaign the way Rabada just did. The difference is Bumrah’s cleaner economy rate (8.11 career vs Rabada’s 8.80), and the fact that Bumrah has never had the availability gaps that cost Rabada three seasons of production. On his best day — or his best season — there isn’t a better fast bowler in IPL than KG.
The number that sticks with me is 18 powerplay wickets in 2026. No bowler has ever done that in an edition. It tells you exactly what Gujarat Titans were doing with the new ball this year — Rabada was hunting openers off a hard length, swinging it back into the right-hander, and the batters had no answer. At 31, he’s not slowing down. If GT give him another full season in 2027, the career record of 148 wickets could reach 175-plus before he’s done.
Kagiso Rabada IPL Stats — FAQs
How many wickets does Kagiso Rabada have in IPL?
Kagiso Rabada has 148 wickets in 101 IPL matches as of June 2026. He has an average of 22.69, an economy rate of 8.80, and best bowling figures of 4/21. He is the third-highest wicket-taker among overseas bowlers in IPL history.
Which IPL teams has Kagiso Rabada played for?
Kagiso Rabada has played for three IPL franchises: Delhi Daredevils/Delhi Capitals (2017, 2019–2021), Punjab Kings (2022–2024), and Gujarat Titans (2025–2026). He won the Purple Cap with Delhi Capitals in 2020 and Gujarat Titans in 2026.
Has Kagiso Rabada won the Purple Cap?
Yes — Kagiso Rabada has won the Purple Cap twice. His first came in IPL 2020 with Delhi Capitals (30 wickets) and his second in IPL 2026 with Gujarat Titans (29 wickets). He is only the second bowler to win the Purple Cap twice in IPL history.
What is Kagiso Rabada’s best bowling figure in IPL?
Kagiso Rabada’s best bowling figures in IPL are 4/21, taken against Chennai Super Kings during the 2019 season when he was playing for Delhi Capitals. He has six four-wicket hauls in his IPL career, but is yet to take a five-wicket haul in the format.
How much was Kagiso Rabada bought for in the IPL auction?
Kagiso Rabada’s IPL auction prices: ₹5 crore (Delhi Daredevils, 2017), ₹9.25 crore (Punjab Kings, 2022 mega auction), and ₹10.75 crore (Gujarat Titans, 2025 auction). Gujarat Titans retained him at ₹10.75 crore for the 2026 season.
Bottom Line
Kagiso Rabada is the most dangerous overseas fast bowler IPL cricket has produced, with 148 wickets, two Purple Caps, and an all-time record for fastest to 100 IPL scalps. The 2020 and 2026 seasons bookend a career that had injuries and personal disruptions in between but never lost its essential quality. At 31, with Gujarat Titans still building, Rabada could easily finish as IPL’s highest-ever wicket-taking overseas bowler — he’s just 26 behind Dwayne Bravo’s current landmark. Track his ongoing season on the IPL 2026 Purple Cap tracker.
