He scored 102 not out off 46 balls.
The star Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter, Devdutt Padikkal, has ended his poor string of form with a whirlwind century in the ongoing SMAT 2025.
The southpaw was enduring a lean patch following the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 opener, facing Saurashtra. After losing two early wickets, Padikkal’s crucial 96 in that fixture had stabilised Karnataka’s innings. Later, the knock proved to be a key contribution for the visitors as the game ended in a draw.
But since then, the batter struggled to regain his rhythm. He accumulated only 106 runs in the next seven innings, including the unofficial two-Test series against South Africa A. Coming into India’s domestic T20 tournament, the SMAT 2025, Padikkal’s low-scoring tally continued. He managed only 15 and 32 runs in the initial two matches.
However, the 25-year-old finally made a return amongst the runs with the help of a pulsating, unbeaten century off just 45 balls. His explosive 102*-run knock was laced with 10 fours and six over-boundaries, at a blazing strike rate of 221.73.
Notably, another former RCB player, Mayan Agarwal’s 24-run cameo, alongside the blistering knocks from B.R. Sharath (53) and Smaran Ravichandran (46*), powered them to a mammoth 245/3. In response, Tamil Nadu were folded for only 100 runs, courtesy of a brilliant show from the Karnataka bowling unit.
This is the second victory of Mayank and Co. in four SMAT 2025 matches, as the most successful team in the league’s history suffers three consecutive defeats.
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The local boy’s return to the Red and Gold had played a pivotal role in RCB’s maiden title-winning run in the IPL 2025. He had scored 247 runs in 10 fixtures, striking at 150.60, before being ruled out of the edition with a hamstring injury.
However, after the sublime match-winning century, the southpaw would look to continue the momentum in the remaining SMAT 2025 matches as well as the upcoming Indian Premier League season. The reigning champions have retained 17 star players from their previous edition’s squad, including Padikkal, ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
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