Follow UsLess than 48 hours ago, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) deemed Devdutt Padikkal not impactful enough to feature in the rain-affected, shortened game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
A horror collapse up front meant that the Reds needed to sub-in an extra batter, but even then, it was the uncapped rookie Manoj Bhandage that RCB trusted over Padikkal, who watched from the sidelines as his side crawled to 95/9 in their quota of 14 overs.
What a difference a couple of days can make. Same opponent, but two days later, it is Padikkal who has proven to be the match winner for RCB, ensuring that they continue their streak of away wins, making it five wins in five away matches.
In RCB’s last win, against Rajasthan Royals, Padikkal walked in after Phil Salt had already killed the game in the powerplay, but the situation here was very, very different.
RCB lost Salt in the very first over and an uphill task lay ahead of the visitors, who needed to chase down 158 on a surface that was unquestionably slow, at least compared to what we’ve come to see in Mullanpur.
Punjab would have seen Padikkal walking in as an opportunity to squeeze the visitors and pile on the pressure, but instead, it was them who got slaughtered, with the leftie smashing 22 off the 13 balls he faced in the powerplay to ensure that his side did not feel the effect of losing Salt early. 54/1 read RCB’s score at the end of the sixth over, and they were well on course to chase down the target.
The powerplay onslaught took Punjab aback a bit, but what pretty much finished them off was the sustained intent Padikkal showed in the middle overs. Heading into today, Padikkal had struggled in the middle overs in all matches bar one, going at under 110 against RR, MI and KKR. There were doubts if he could up the ante once the fielders were pushed back, and the doubts were honestly justified.
However, on the day, Padikkal quashed all questions by hammering 39 off 22 balls in the 7-15 phase, pretty much killing the game off. He hit three fours and as many sixes and showed the kind of intent that gave a glimpse of what he could potentially turn into if his power game evolves.
To be fair, there have already been enough signs to suggest that Padikkal has upped his power game in this IPL. Seven games in, he is striking at 150.00—by far his highest strike rate in any IPL season. And he’s been hitting a six every 12 balls; his previous best six-hitting season was IPL 2022, where he hit a six every 21.9 balls.
Credit has to be given to RCB, who seem to have defined the left-hander’s role pretty clearly: which is to come in at No.3 and keep taking on the bowling. They’ve been willing to accept that there will be failures every now and then, and that role clarity and backing seem to have emboldened Padikkal to play with newfound freedom.
The No.3 role was a question mark for RCB before the season began, but Padikkal seems to have solved it now, and how.