New Delhi, March 29 -- Devdutt Padikkal began his IPL 2025 journey with a very unwanted record: he was the first player to go unsold at the auction held last year in Saudi Arabia. He was eventually picked up by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for his base price of Rs.2 crore at the end. At the time, no one would have expected him to be more than a back-up option. After all, in 64 matches in his IPL career till 2024, Devdutt Padikkal had a strike rate of 123. In a stacked RCB batting line-up, would anyone be buying IPL tickets to see Devdutt Padikkal bat?

Two games into IPL 2025, Devdutt Padikkal has started to turn that opinion on its head. He didn't make a headline-grabbing contribution, but his 27 off 14 played a key role as RCB beat...