'I wasn't expecting it' - Devdutt Padikkal recalls making his debut for RCB in IPL 2020

Without a doubt, Devdutt Padikkal has been one of the brightest prospects to emerge out of the Indian Premier League in the last couple of seasons. The stylish left-handed batter plied his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous seasons.

The southpaw played 29 games for RCB where he scored 884 runs at an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of 125.03.  Roped in for INR 20 Lakhs, Padikkal performed exceptionally well in his debut season. The Karnataka batter recently featured in the RCB podcast where he shared anecdotes about his first game for them.

“Simon actually came out and told me that you’ll be playing the first game. I wasn’t expecting it to be honest, I thought they might bench me a couple of games before they gave me a spot in the squad. The fact that they immediately put in from the first game gave me so much confidence. They have that trust and belief in me that I can straightaway get into the team and start performing. All you need is confidence from the management and coaches,” he said.

Padikkal also ended up being the leading run-scorer for them in the IPL 2020 season. However, following an average second-half of the IPL in UAE in 2021, the franchise released him ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. They retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj. He also talked about his first interaction with the RCB skipper under whom he made his IPL debut, Virat Kohli, on the podcast.

The first time I met him was in the ground, during a practice session. I was star struck and was unsure how to go up to him and start talking. I didn’t want to get into small talk because I’m not good at it,” he said.

Devdutt Padikkal on advice he took from Virat Kohli

The youngster asked the former RCB captain about cricket. He also asked Kohli what he actually does when he goes through downs. “So the first thing I asked him is about cricket. I asked what he does when he goes through a bad phase,” the youngster added.

RCB’s move to not retain Padikkal took everyone by surprise, considering he was one of the most consistent run-scorers in the team since the last two seasons. Since the young Karnataka-born batter is not part of the RCB franchise, he will go under the hammer this time around in the upcoming auction.

The mega auction will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13 respectively. Padikkal is now a proven performer in the IPL and the teams wouldn’t hesitate to initiate a bidding war to recruit his services.