IPL 2020: Devdutt Padikkal Who Just Cleared His Fourth Sem BBA Exams Is Being Hailed As Player To Watch Out For; Know Why

The young Devdutt Padikkal became crucial for Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening IPL match on Monday. Know why experts are saying he is a player to watch out for.

Dubai: Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Devdutt Padikkal raises his bat after completing a half-century during a cricket match of IPL 2020 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. Image (PTI)

IPL 2020:Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) recorded a brilliant win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening IPL match on Monday in Dubai. SRH had a 10-run loss against RCB which is being led by Captain Virat Kohli. The match was also important in bringing attention to the young cricketer Devdutt Padikkal whom experts have called a player to watch out for. The 20-year-old left-handed opening batsman for RCB hails from Malappuram district of Kerala. After his family shifted to Bangalore, he began training at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket. From 2014, Padikkal has represented Karnataka in under-16 and under-19 age categories. In 2017, the young cricketer was selected by Bellary Tuskers in the Karnataka Premier League. Considered as an introvert he has just recently cleared his pending fourth semester Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) exams. According to Cricbuzz, he gave his exams in isolation in a sanitised classroom during the Covid 19 lockdown in the country. The youngster made his IPL debut this year and said, "I was very nervous when I got the news that I would be making my debut for RCB. I was just walking in my room the day I got the news that I will be playing against Hyderabad. When I came to bat, I got settled then, when I played my first two balls, I really felt good," Padikkal told Yuzvendra Chahal in a video posted on the official website of IPL in a report by ANI. During his opening match in IPL, Padikkal showed perfect balance in the crease. He also played all around the ground, playing the pull and aerial cover drive with confidence. While, during the batting innings, Devdutt Padikkal scored 56 runs for RCB in his first match for the franchise. But this isn't the only time when he has shown as resilience, even in his first season in domestic cricket, he scored more than 900 runs in first-class cricket. Padikkal has also now made a half-century almost all his major debut matches, during the IPL SRH Vs RCB, Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. According to media reports, the young batsman came into the limelight after he scored 580 runs in Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in 2019 which is India’s domestic T20 tournament. After the match, Australian cricketer Aaron Finch also praised the young star and said that he is an exciting young player. "Brilliant young player, he (Padikkal) has shown it over the last couple of years in domestic cricket, U-19 cricket, how talented he is, and how destructive he could be at the top of the order. I loved opening with him. He is such an exciting young player said," Aaron Finch said in the post-match press conference according to a report by India Today. Even Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President  Saurav Ganguly could not resist praising the young man and tweeted his happiness in watching a well-played match.

Enjoyed watching devdutt padikal @RCBTweets ..left handers grace so delightful

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) September 21, 2020

Padikkal's talent has left everyone excited to see what he does in the future and according to former cricketer Neha Tanwar, if he continues to play like this he will secure a place in the Indian Cricket Team.