New Delhi, May 3: Injured Kagiso Rabada was on Friday ruled of the rest of the IPL after South Africa decided to call the pacer back as a precautionary measure ahead of the World Cup.
Rabada had missed Delhi Capitals' last match against Chennai Super Kings due to stiff back and his unavailability is a severe blow to Delhi Capitals, who are striving to win their maiden IPL title.
According to a statement from the Delhi Capitals, Rabada, the current Purple Cap holder, has been advised to return home by CSA.
"It is indeed very hard for me to leave the Delhi Capitals at this stage of the tournament," said the 23-year-old Rabada, who took 25 wickets from 12 matches that he played this season.
"But with the World Cup just a month away, a collective decision has been made for me in this regard. It's been a tremendous season for me with the Delhi Capitals, both on and off the field, and I truly believe that our team can win the trophy."
Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee said Rabada's recall was precautionary based on his history.
"Kagiso experienced stiffness in his lower back a few days ago and was taken for scans for further investigation. The scan results, combined with further assessment by our physiotherapist Craig Govender who is fortunately in Delhi, led the CSA medical committee to the decision to withdraw him from the remainder of the IPL," Moosajee said in a Cricket South Africa statement.
"Kagiso has a history with back injuries and the CSA medical team is taking the best measures to ensure he is fully fit for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup next month. He will consult with a back specialist upon his return and proceed with a treatment and rehab programme."
Delhi Capitals' head coach Ricky Ponting termed the development as "unfortunate".
"It's unfortunate that Rabada is having to leave us at this stage of the tournament. But I have full confidence in our team and I'm sure each and every member of this unit will step up to the occasion," Ponting said.
Rabada has played a pivotal role in Delhi Capitals' march to the first Play-offs after a gap of seven years.
Delhi Capitals will play Rajasthan Royals in their last league match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here on Saturday.
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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
