The Royal Challengers Bangalore are chasing their first IPL title and will aim to break the deadlock in the upcoming edition of the tournament. The side, which is led by Virat Kohli, looks relatively stronger on paper in this season.
RCB, which derives its core from the captain himself, as well as players like AB de Villiers and Aaron Finch in the batting order, receive a boost with the arrival of talented youngster Devdutt Padikkal, who looks set to make his debut appearance in the tournament this season.
Padikkal says he is feeling as good about his game as it was before the COVID-19 lockdown after a good two and half weeks of skills training ahead of the IPL.
His team will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 21 in its opening match of the league, which begins on September 19 in the UAE.
"Feels great as we are slowly getting back into it. There have been a good number of (net) sessions and we are feeling good like we were before lockdown," Padikkal told RCB's YouTube channel.
The Karnataka left-hander is being talked about highly in the Indian cricket circles after top-scoring in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The 20-year-old enjoys an astonishing strike rate of 175 plus and an average of 64 in 12 games. He has a hundred and five fifties.
Padikkal, who is known for his big hits in domestic cricket is learnt to have impressed both skipper Virat Kohli and coach Mike Hesson.
"It's more about movement, getting the legs moving quicker, getting the reactions faster again, the sessions were targeted on what we are doing and what we are aiming to achieve," Padikkal said.
Another aspect of concern will be the humid weather in the UAE and a lot of running has helped them gain endurance, feels Padikkal.
"We are getting used to the weather. We have had a few running sessions to get acclimatised to the weather. We can keep working on fitness and it will help us a lot," Padikkal said.
(With inputs from PTI)
