The youngster had made his Test debut last March
Devdutt Padikkal has risen through the ranks of Under 19 cricket, to being a top performer for Karnataka through India A set-up and finally earning a place in the playing XI in the senior national side.
His importance for Karnataka and India A has not diminished but the view on his T20 numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been questionable.
The stylish left-hander has two underwhelming seasons in 2023 and 2024 with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants respectively, scoring 299 runs from 18 matches with a strike rate less than 120.
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However, not many know that the 24-year-old suffers with an intestinal problem that had proved to be a stumbling block to his ambitions.
“In 2022 during IPL, I felt there was something wrong with my gut and that’s when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which is basically ulcers in your intestine. It was very challenging to be honest. I lost a lot of weight, I was fatigued all the time, there was a stage where I lost 10-12 kgs of weight within a couple of months. I had to stop playing cricket for the next 2-3 months. Its a condition I have to deal with for the rest of my life,” the RCB batter told the franchise’s YouTube channel.
Padikkal, who had made his IPL debut with his home franchise in 2020, piled on runs in his first two seasons with 473 and 411 runs but was bought by RR and then LSG before returning to RCB for IPL 2025.
Under Rajat Patidar’s captaincy, RCB have performed like a well-oiled machine by beating Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians in their own backyards. As the hope around the team’s title chances increase, Padikkal also feels the same.
“Winning an IPL trophy for RCB is a dream. You say that its obvious because every RCB fan, just like me, wants the team to have that trophy. Even if I am playing anywhere else in the IPL, there’s always a soft spot for RCB, hoping that they would win the trophy.”
Padikkal has scores of 10, 27, 4 and 37 in IPL 2025 so far.
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