Kagiso Rabada finished the 2026 Indian Premier League as the leading wicket-taker, but just how do his stats compare to the legendary Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn in the premier T20 competition in world cricket? Picture: ALEXANDER JOE / AFP, Shammi MEHRA / AFP
Image: ALEXANDER JOE / AFP, Shammi MEHRA / AFP
As Kagiso Rabada won the Purple Cap for most wickets in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), it’s worth comparing him to another great South African bowler, perhaps even the greatest - Dale Steyn.
Steyn, who claimed a South African record 439 Test wickets, is widely regarded as the best Proteas bowler of all time, but how does his IPL record compare with that of Rabada?
Interestingly, with Rabada’s Gujarat Titans losing in the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru over the weekend, the two Proteas quicks have played a similar number of matches in the premier T20 competition in world cricket.
Rabada has played 101 matches in the IPL, while Steyn played 95 in his career.
The 31-year-old Rabada has played for three different IPL franchises between 2017 and 2026, while Steyn played for four sides between 2007 and 2021.
To date, Rabada has 148 wickets at an average of 22.68 and a strike rate of 15.4.
In comparison, Steyn claimed 97 wickets at an average of 25.85 and a strike rate of 22.4.
On stats alone, then, it would appear that Rabada is the vastly superior bowler in the IPL.
One of the only differences between the two players in favour of Steyn is economy rate. While Rabada goes at 8.79, Steyn was more miserly at 6.91 runs per over.
However, it’s difficult to compare economy rates as the IPL continues to feature escalating scoring rates every season.
Overall, though, it would appear that Rabada gets the nod as the better IPL bowler.