A dream debut by Devdutt Padikkal propelled Royal Challenges Bangalore (RCB) to put up a competitive total of 163 for 5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the third match of the Dream11 Indian Premier League at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The 20-year-old debutant hammered a strokeful 56 (42 balls, 8×4) to launch his and his team RCB’s campaign on a promising note as they chase maiden IPL title.
The tall southpaw Padikkal provided a flying start in the company of fellow opener Aaron Finch (29: 27 balls, 1×4, 2×6). From the word go, the RCB openers launched a fierce attack on the opposition as they added 86 in the first ten overs. Padikkal was the more aggressive of the duo. The former India Under-19 star impressed with his clean and clear hits. However, after reaching his maiden fifty, he could not continue his dream run and departed for 56.
Soon after Padikkal’s dismissal, Finch was trapped leg-before by left arm spinner Abhishek Sharma when he looked in great touch.
Skipper Virat Kohli (14, 13 balls) and AB de Villiers (51: 30 balls, 4×4, 2×6) added some quick runs raising hopes of yet another partnership between the two long-standing teammates.
That didn’t happen as Kohli dismissed trying to clear the ropes. AB de Villiers then took over the charge and continued his free flowing innings. Whenever he got a chance, he displayed his trademark shots to accelerate the scoring.
However, he failed to get support from the other end as RCB were restricted to 163 for 5 after getting a flying start early to their innings.
Brief Scores
Royal Challengers Bangalore 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 56, AB de Villiers 51, Aaron Finch 29, Virat Kohli 14, Shivam Dube 7; Abhishek Sharma 1-16, Vijay Shankar 1-14, T Natarajan 1-34) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad