South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of IPL 2018 due to back injury. The paceman sustained the injury during the last clash between South Africa and Australia in the recently concluded 4-Test series at Johannesburg.

Delhi Daredevils retained the 22-year-old for Rs 4.2 crore using the Right to Match Card ahead of the upcoming season. He will be sidelined for a month owing to the injury and Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee has confirmed that he could be out of action for a maximum 3-month period.

Moosajee said: “Kagiso has been diagnosed with a lower back stress reaction which will rule him out of cricket action for up to three months. He will need a month’s break from all physical activity before commencing with a rehabilitation programme to get him ready for the series against Sri Lanka in July."

“Something I have to think about and plan moving forward is how to have some time off,” Rabada said after the Test regarding his workload. “It is very important because you ultimately want to play for 10 to 15 years and you've got to have some sort of plan. You can't just drift through it.”

A replacement for the South African seamer will have to be approved by IPL technical committee. The Delhi-based franchise, led by Gautam Gambhir, already have the likes Trent Boult and Mohammad Shami in their bowling attack.

The side will start their campaign in the lucrative league with their first match against Kings XI Punjab on April 8.

Before Rabada, Australia pacer Mitchell Starc was also ruled of the tournament due to a tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg, an injury picked up in the same series. He will miss the tournament as Kolkata Knight Riders roped in Tom Curran as his replacement.

Two other Aussies, Steve Smith and David Warner, were also barred from the tournament for being involved in the ball-tampering scandal during the third Test between Australia and South Africa. Smith and Warner lost their captaincy in Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively.