Devdutt Padikkal from Karnataka has been the biggest find for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in recent years. It was Padikkal’s opening salvo with former skipper Virat Kohli which propelled the RCB into the IPL 2021 playoffs.
Padikkal has scored 884 runs in 29 matches with 166 fifties at a strike rate of over 125 over the last two IPL seasons. Padikkal told the RCB podcast that Kohli’s all-over attention takes the pressure off of him and makes his job easier. It is priceless to have Kohli explain things to you, Padikkal said, hailing the experienced Kohli.
“Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen in the world. He has a lot of knowledge and experience about the game, he won the World Cup, and he has done everything in cricket, so to have someone like that at the non-striker end is just unbeatable,” Padikkal said.
“I am not given much attention when he bats with me. That relieves a lot of pressure from my shoulder. I couldn’t have asked for anything more coming into the team and playing with him,” he continued.
RCB did not retain Padikkal before the IPL 2022 season. With a base price of Rs 2 crore, he is sure to attract a lot of interest in the IPL 2022 mega auction.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore has yet to win a silverware. However, at the auction, they are hoping to change that. As a pair, Padikkal and Kohli had a successful season in 2021.
