‘Hopefully, we can make that right in the next game’ – Devdutt Padikkal confident for RCB to make a comeback against MI

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s batter Devdutt Padikkal reckoned that his team has the potential to stage a comeback in its upcoming game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, September 26 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. RCB were going great guns in the India leg of the tournament, but has entered a mini-slump in the UAE, having lost two games in succession.

In their previous game, Chennai Super Kings beat them by six wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. With the defeat, RCB also lost their seventh match in a row in the IPL in the UAE. The 21-year-old Padikkal said that the Challengers tried to make the CSK batters work hard for each and every run since the track wasn’t an easy one to bat.

The wicket was getting a little tougher, says Devdutt Padikkal

“Yeah, definitely. There are always some things we can improve on. At that stage, we were looking to take the game deep, we felt that the wicket was getting a little tougher and we knew it would not be easy for someone new coming into bat. So, yeah that was what we were looking to do and trying to take our chances whenever we can,” Padikkal said in a virtual post-match press conference.

After being sent in to bat first, the Challengers got off to a thunderous start as Padikkal and skipper Virat Kohli cobbled together a partnership of 111 for the opening wicket. Even as Kohli notched 53, Padikkal top-scored for RCB with a 50-ball 70, laced with five fours and three sixes.

But after Dwayne Bravo got rid of Kohli, RCB could only muster 45 runs off 40 balls. Bravo went on to pick up three wickets. After looking good for a score above the 180-run mark, the Challengers ended with an under-par 156. Padikkal admitted that RCB couldn’t quite capitalise on the start they got.

“Obviously when you have a start like that you would like to get 170-180 at least. We really did not set a target like that, we were trying to play to the merit of the ball, unfortunately, and it did not work out against CSK. But hopefully, we can make that right in the next game,” he added.