IPL 2020: Devdutt Paddikal breaks and sets records

Royal Challengers Bangalore opening batsman Devdutt Paddikal once again proved why he might be the biggest emerging player of Indian Premier League 2020 as well as for Indian cricket in the future. It is because he scored an impressive half-century in his team’s final league match against Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Though his half-century might go in vain, it has helped him to break and set records in the IPL.

 

 

 

His 50-run knock off 41 deliveries helped him set the record for most runs scored by an uncapped player in a single IPL season. He smashed five boundaries in his knock against Delhi Capitals. Earlier, Australian Shaun Marsh, in 2008, had scored 616 runs in just 11 matches in the maiden IPL season in 2008 for Kings XI Punjab. Marsh, who had later to represent the Australian team in all formats had till then not made his international debut and was thus considered an uncapped player.

 

 

Padikkal also surpassed the joint record of Shikhar Dhawan (2008) and Shreyas Iyer (2015) who were tied at 4 fifties in their respective debut seasons. The 20-year-old opener has now scored 472 runs in an IPL season – the most by any uncapped batsman.

 

 

With this knock, the young lad has also surpassed skipper Virat Kohli to become the leading run-scorer for RCB in the ongoing edition. He now has 472 runs from 14 innings at a decent average of 33.71. Padikkal has scored 51 fours and eight sixes in his maiden season.

 

Earlier, he had become the only player in IPL history to score three fifties in his first four games during his side's match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Abu Dhabi on October 3.

 

Due to all these records set and broken by the Banglore boy, RCB has also found a new opener in him strengthening their top-order batting line-up. He has also impressed everyone with his fielding skills. What makes it more impressive that he has played only one domestic T20 cricket - 2019–20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - in which he smashed 580 runs and became the leading run-scorer in the tournament.