Devdutt Padikkal

A lanky and stylish left-hander with a 6 '3 frame from Karnataka, Devdutt Padikkal oozes class and confidence. Devdutt was born in Edappal, Kerala, but his parents moved to Hyderabad when he was young before eventually settling in Bangalore, a move that was prompted by a promise of a better cricketing future for Devdutt in Bangalore. He started the sport at the age of 11 and slowly laddered up the ranks of school and age-group cricket to carve a niche for himself. He first came under the spotlight for his stunning 53-ball 72 for his team Ballari Tuskers in the Karnataka Premier League in 2017 and after that impressive show, he kept piling runs for Karnataka U-19s before a slump in form and self-doubt threatened to stall his career. But hard work and perseverance saw the youngster rise like a phoenix from ashes to rack up 829 runs in the Cooch Behar Trophy 2018, finishing as the fourth highest run-getter.

Devdutt also bagged the best batsman award from Karnataka State Cricket Association for his superb contributions and was also drafted into the senior team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. An India U-19 call-up followed for the Sri Lanka tour and Devdutt displayed some eye-catching performances to seal his place in the team. At 19, Devdutt already had an IPL contract with RCB swooping in the auctions ahead of the 2019 season. The Royal Challengers Bangalore endured a nightmarish IPL that year, winning 5 out of 14 matches, bagging the wooden spoon. While Devdutt never got a chance to showcase his talent on the field, he got to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game.

Going back to the domestic circuit, Devdutt started the 2019-20 domestic season with a bang. In the first game, he compiled a 58 in the opening game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Jharkhand. There was no looking back for the youngster post that knock. He smashed his maiden List A ton against Saurashtra and followed it up with another unbeaten century in the next game against Goa. Devdutt kept piling up runs and was a vital cog in Karnataka's wheel. He finished the tournament as the leading run-getter with 609 runs and it's a no-brainer that he was picked for the Deodhar Trophy in the India A squad.

IPL 2020, however, was Devdutt’s real coming of age. Getting an opportunity to open the batting with Virat Kohli, Devdutt mesmerized everyone that was looking and made those who weren’t turn their heads. He became the only batter in IPL cricket to score three fifties in his first four games. He finished the tournament, which was held in the UAE, with 473 runs from 15 outings, netting him a highly deserved Emerging Player of the Year award. Things, however, were only going to get better. Come the 2021 season of the IPL, Devdutt took off right where he left. He brought up his first IPL century in the form of an unbeaten 101 against the Rajasthan Royals to hand his side a thumping 10-wicket win. Building on his consistency, Devdutt recorded another 400+ runs season. His consistent IPL and domestic performances meant that an India T20I debut in India’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2021 was inevitable.

With the 2022 IPL Mega Auction forcing a major reshuffle, Devdutt found himself in the Rajasthan Royals camp after being picked up for a massive sum of INR 7.75 crore.

By Sriram AS