He made 247 runs for RCB during IPL 2025.
Star Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Devdutt Padikkal has been released by the Gulbarga Mystics ahead of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2025, sparking debate in the domestic circuit. Padikkal’s omission has come after his exceptional outings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The news was confirmed by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on Friday, with other details, including retentions and key dates.
The Mystics preferred to retain Vyshak Vijaykumar, Luvnith Sisodia, Smaran R, and Praveen Dubey ahead of Padikkal. In the previous season, the pace spearhead Vyashak emerged as the second leading wicket-taker for the franchise last year, with 11 wickets in nine innings, averaging 25.63.
Sisodia and Smaran were the first and second leading run getters for the franchise respectively. Sisodia amassed 314 runs in 11 innings, striking at 139.55 while Smaran racked up 302 in nine innings including a hundred at 43.62 and 145.19.
However, Praveen Dubey didn’t have a season to remember for the Mystics. He managed four wickets in six matches and averaged nearly 40. His economy of 8.87 was also decent. Hence, despite his poor numbers, the leg-spinner was retained ahead of an international batter.
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Paddikal had a forgettable season in IPL 2024. He represented Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in seven games, managing just 38 runs, averaging 5.42 and a strike rate of 71.69. His highest score was only 13. Some experts believed his T20 career might be coming to an end, but they were unaware of what destiny had in store for him.
On the other hand, the 25-year-old had a decent outing for the Gulbarga Mystics last year. He scored 253 runs in 10 innings at an impressive strike rate of 140.55. He emerged as the third leading run-getter for the franchise. Notably, he led the team to the semi-final but lost against Bengaluru Blasters.
For the IPL 2025, RCB roped in the southpaw at his base price of INR 2 crore in the mega auction for a second stint with the franchise. He was assigned a new role this time and asked to bat at No.3. The left-hand batter didn’t disappoint and played a couple of match-winning knocks for the side. Overall, he scored 247 runs in 10 matches at an average of 27.44 while striking at 150.60 with two fifties.
The fourth season of the Maharaja T20 League will be played from August 11 to August 26. The tournament will be played behind closed doors at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The tournament will witness 33 games among six teams, with the Mysore Warriors as the defending champions.
The player auction for the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2025 is scheduled for July 15. Each team can assemble a squad of 16 to 18 players, excluding two mandatory picks from their respective catchment areas.
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