Why is Kagiso Rabada not playing today’s RCB vs GT IPL 2025 match?

Kagiso Rabada is not playing the IPL 2025 match between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, April 2. Arshad Khan has replaced Proteas pacer in the GT playing XI.

At the toss, skipper Shubman Gill confirmed that Rabada was unavailable for their first away game due to personal reasons. He said (via Cricbuzz):

“Kagiso [Rabada] misses out due to personal reasons so we've got Arshad Khan back.”

Rabada, who was bought for INR 10.75 crore, bagged one wicket each in the first two games against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Overall, the 29-year-old has 119 wickets in 82 IPL games. His experience could've proved fruitful as he has bagged six wickets in two games at Chinnaswamy in IPL, including a 4/21.

Meanwhile, Arshad Khan returned wicketless against Punjab, conceding 21 runs in his only over. The 27-year-old has six wickets in 11 games. With the bat, he has 102 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 145.71, including a half-century.

GT opt to bowl against RCB in the IPL 2025 match

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bowl against RCB in the IPL 2025 encounter. Explaining his decision, the 25-year-old said:

“We'll bowl first. Looks like a good wicket. We've seen the conditions don't change much. We're all about reducing our unforced errors. We'll try to fine-tune the areas that need it.”

The Titans returned to winning ways, defeating the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by 36 runs in their last outing following their loss to Punjab in the opening game of their IPL 2025 campaign.

On the other hand, Rajat Patidar confirmed an unchanged side for the hosts after back-to-back wins over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their first two games.

The Bengaluru-based franchise are playing their first home game in IPL 2025. They will be keen to consolidate their top spot in the points table.

Follow the RCB vs GT IPL 2025 live score and updates here.