Please don't take this as an insult, because I know that you are a good player...
I also find Kabal to be a very difficult character to play against, but I am improving. The reason for this was I did not block efficiently enough. You can not do alot of the things against Kabal that you can easily do against other characters. A good Kabal player will capatalize if you leave the ground, or rush blindly. Your guard must always be up. I still struggle against a good Kabal player with my Reptile. I love to use Kabal, but for some reason hate using Kabal vs. Kabal...but have really improved against a good Kabal player by playing Mista over and over and see how to throw out ducking lk's and uppercuts at the right moment during a rush. As well as containment forceballs. Try and mix up your strategies with Kabal so you can have a better chance against him.
So I guess what I am trying to say is, Kabal isn't a "gay" character...he is the top of the tier, he makes you play his game, so it is necisary to adjust and find the weakness.