Rookie opener Devdutt Padikkal wasn’t expecting to make his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2020 season.

The left-hander was roped in for INR 20 lakhs in the auction and he was able to get into the IPL after an impressive show in the domestic circuit while playing for Karnataka in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The southpaw was able to grab his opportunity with both hands as he scored 473 runs in 15 matches at an average of 31.53 and a strike rate of 124.80 in IPL 2020. Ergo, he played a key role in taking the franchise to the playoff stages as he top-scored for the franchise in the season. Furthermore, he was also awarded the emerging player of the tournament.

Padikkal thought that he would be benched for the first couple of games but he was asked to play in the opening match of the season.

“Simon actually came out and told me that you’ll be playing the first game. I wasn’t expecting it to be honest, I thought they might bench me for a couple of games before they gave me a spot in the squad,” said Padikkal on The RCB Podcast while talking about his first game.

“The fact that they immediately put in from the first game gave me so much confidence. They have that trust and belief in me that I can straightaway get into the team and start performing. All you need is confidence from the management and coaches,” he said. Interestingly, Padikkal wasn’t retained by RCB for IPL 2022.

Subsequently, after having an impressive maiden season in the IPL, Padikkal scored 411 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2021 for RCB at an average of 31.61 and a strike rate of 125.30, including his maiden IPL century, which came against Rajasthan Royals.

Meanwhile, Padikkal was not retained by RCB as they decided to retain their former skipper Virat Kohli, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj. Padikkal will go under the hammer in the upcoming IPL auction and he has set his base price at INR 2 crore.

The IPL Auction will be hosted in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.