Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal had an IPL debut to remember. There were indeed a bit of a chatter surrounding the youngster heading into the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, pertaining to the class he showed with his batting the domestic tournaments last year. But on Monday, the world witnessed the highly-rated talent and displayed sheer calmness and class in scoring his maiden IPL half-century.
The 20-year-old, hailing from Kerala, played with a nimble foot as he scored a flurry of boundaries through the square region at the Dubai International Stadium. His confident start helped RCB get off to a flier, one they had witnessed during the Chris Gayle era.
RCB dominated the proceedings in the powerplay with Padikkal scoring though lofted cover drives and exquisite pull shots against the pacers. En route to his glorious 42-ball 56, laced with eight boundaries, Padikkal also combined with fellow opener Aaron Finch in stitching a 90-run stand in 11 overs before both fell of successive deliveries.
Nevertheless, Padikkal received accolades for his brilliant show from all corners of the cricket fraternity, including BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
"Enjoyed watching devdutt padikal @RCBTweets ..left handers grace so delightful," Ganguly tweeted.
Following their dismissal, AB de Villiers smashed a breathtaking 51 to power RCB to 163.
In the chase, Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey did provide some resistance after an early and unfortunate run-out dismissal of captain David Warner. But following their departure, SRH fell like nine pins as RCB scripted a 10-run victory.
