After losing Philip Salt early, the responsibility of stabilizing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ship in their chase of 158 runs against Punjab Kings (PBKS) fell on Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal. While Kohli, known as the 'chase master,' started off cautiously, it was Padikkal who shifted gears and took the attack to the bowlers. His innings saw him score 61 off 35 balls, smashing 5 fours and 4 sixes.
While he has been receiving mixed reactions, the RCB camp has shown a lot of faith in the young 24-year-old, who began his Indian Premier League (IPL) journey with RCB. He later moved to Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), before returning to RCB and now batting at the No. 3 spot.?
As the young gun helped RCB reach a strong position and win the clash, one thing fans noticed is the huge difference in his game when playing for RCB compared to his stints with other franchises. In fact, this match against PBKS marked Padikkal's first 50+ score in 14 IPL innings ¡ª with his last half-century also coming against Punjab Kings, in Dharamsala back in 2023.?
During his time at RR from 2022 to 2023, he scored 376 and 261 runs respectively, while his earlier stint with RCB from 2020 to 2021 saw him post 473 and 411 runs ¡ª including a superb unbeaten knock of 101* off just 52 deliveries against Rajasthan Royals.?
At LSG, his form dipped more as he managed just 38 runs in 7 matches during the 2024 season. Now back with RCB, he has played 7 games so far, scoring 180 runs, with his 61 against PBKS being his highest of the season.
A solid left-handed batter who excels at the top of the order, Padikkal has consistently displayed the range of shots in his arsenal. His recent knock against PBKS seems to have earned him plenty of praise, especially on X (formerly known as Twitter).?
One said, "WELL PLAYED, DEVDUTT PADIKKAL."
Another wrote, "Devdutt Padikkal 61 (35)."
One commented, "THE CROWDS APPRECIATING DEVDUTT PADIKKAL'S INNINGS."
Another added, "Devdutt Padikkal... what a player."
And one more wrote, "Devdutt Padikkal for RCB this season¡ he is well and truly back."
Punjab Kings (Playing XI):?Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer(c), Josh Inglis(w), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Subs:?Harpreet Brar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suryansh Shedge, Glenn Maxwell, Praveen Dubey?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):?Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Subs:?Devdutt Padikkal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh?
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