IPL 2019: Dale Steyn calls Kagiso Rabada a wonderkid, says he is here to stay

Kagiso Rabada has been doing wonderfully well in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 for his franchise, the Delhi Capitals. He has already picked 17 wickets in 8 matches played, with an economy of 7.70 and the best bowling performance of 4/21. His best performance was in the Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders, when he defended 11 runs against the likes of Andre Russell and Co.

At just the age of 23, Rabada has earned accolades from all corners of the cricketing world including South African pace legend Dale Steyn. Steyn will be turning out for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their remaining matches of the ongoing tournament, after being called in as a replacement of the injured Australian Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Kagiso Rabada is a wonder-kid, says Steyn

Dale Steyn, who made his Test debut in 2004, has played 93 Tests and 125 ODIs, picking 439 and 196 wickets respectively in a glittering career, which has been derailed by injuries in recent times. But his record and talent have made the 35-year-old a true giant of the game.

He sees Rabada as his successor and he was quoted as saying in the Business Standard, “You look at KG (Rabada), he’s been bowling exceptionally well. Kagiso is a wonderkid. Just hope he continues that kind of form. He’s come on to the scene in international cricket and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.”

“We’ve seen players come in, show signs of extreme excellence and then fade away, but KG is someone we can get used to,” Dale Steyn further mentioned. Kagiso Rabada has been one of the most exciting prospects in world cricket ever since his debut in 2015. He has picked 176 wickets in 37 Tests and 106 wickets in 66 ODIs. Rabada also holds the record for best bowling figures on ODI debut- 6/16, which came against Bangladesh that also included a hat-trick.

Steyn says its pure business about not being picked in IPL 2019 auction

Royal Challengers Bangalore drafted Steyn in and hope that he might do wonders for their dismal fortunes in the ongoing IPL season. RCB has lost 7 games out of eight played and have won only one game against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) are placed in the last spot of the points table.

“He (coach Gary Kirsten) asked me have I been playing, have I been bowling, and I said yes. I was actually prepping to play our local T20 tournament. It can sometimes be difficult coming halfway through the IPL and the World Cup coming up, but we got through it, and here I am,” Steyn further added.

Steyn further mentioned that he doesn’t feel bad that he wasn’t picked in the IPL 2019 auction. He said that every coach and franchise have their plans and if a particular player doesn’t fit in those plans, there should be no hard feelings.

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