Devdutt Padikkal announced his return to domestic cricket in style with a 102-run knock in Karnataka’s Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout game against Baroda on Saturday. The southpaw, who was a part of India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was added to Karnataka’s side along with Prasidh Krishna for the quarterfinal clash. With his century, Padikkal has all but confirmed his role as no.3 batter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025.
Padikkal’s ton means good news for RCB
Padikkal was bagged for Rs 2 cr by RCB in IPL 2025 mega-auction, making his return to the side after 3 years. The Karnataka opener helped the side recover after losing Mayank Agarwal early in the game against Baroda. His 102-run knock off 99 deliveries was studded with 15 fours and two sixes, striking at 103.03. While RCB is expected to use Phil Salt and Virat Kohli as openers for IPL 2025, Padikkal is expected to be the best number three choice for the team.
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Padikkal’s addition to Karnataka’s squad for VHT knockout games proved to be valuable. The southpaw has an impeccable record in List A cricket, with 1875 runs to his name from 30 matches, averaging 81.52. In T20s, he averages 31.17, with 2806 runs from 99 matches, including three hundreds and 17 fifties.
After making his IPL debut in 2020, Padikkal enjoyed stellar success for three consecutive years, managing to score 200+ runs in each season. However, he delivered a sub-par performance in IPL 2024, managing just 38 runs from 7 matches. With his homecoming in IPL 2025, the southpaw will be aiming to once again allow his bat to do the talking and help the team clinch the elusive trophy.
| Year | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 64 | 1559 | 25.15 | 123.14 |
| 2024 | 7 | 38 | 5.43 | 71.70 |
| 2023 | 11 | 261 | 26.10 | 130.50 |
| 2022 | 17 | 376 | 22.12 | 122.88 |
| 2021 | 14 | 411 | 31.61 | 125.30 |
| 2020 | 15 | 473 | 31.53 | 124.80 |
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