Padikkal leads RCB to 10-wicket win over RR with maiden IPL century

Kohli hit an unbeaten 72 playing second fiddle to Bengaluru boy Devdutt Padikkal

Move over Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers, here comes Devdutt Padikkal! After de Villiers and Maxwell set the tone to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s campaign in the first three matches, young Padikkal (101 n.o., 52b, 11x4, 6x6) set the scene on fire with easily one of the finest hundreds in the Indian Premier League. And Rajasthan Royals were at the receiving end of the left-hander’s hitherto unseen fury at this level.

The Covid-19 infection had set Padikkal back a bit, but on Thursday he was back and better. His stroke-making was uninhibited but it wasn’t mindless slogging. He produced proper cricketing shots through his innings as RCB knocked down Royals’ 177/9 without losing a wicket. While the total wasn’t too insignificant the way RCB chased the target, reaching 181/0 in 16.3 overs which incidentally is RCB’s highest stand for the opening wicket ever, any total would have been too small on the day.

All guns blazing

With Padikkal going all guns blazing, skipper Virat Kohli (72, 47b, 6x4, 3x6) played a happy second fiddle but accelerated after getting his eyes in to help his side pick up a fourth win in as many matches and return to the top of the table. Besides his welcome return to form, there was also a small matter of Kohli topping 6000 runs in IPL.

Though it was Kohli, who struck the first RCB boundary -- a six off Shreyas Gopal, Padikkal took charge after that and remained relentless till Kohli cut loose. But he wasn’t denied his first triple score which he reached with a scorching cover-driven boundary.

RCB had done exceedingly well to reduce Royals to 18/3 and then 43/4 after winning the toss on a batting-friendly pitch with Mohammed Siraj (3/27) causing the damage upfront. At a ground where totals in excess of 220 have been defended narrowly, it wasn’t the start Royals would have been hoping for against a formidable batting line-up.

The playing surface had few demons in it while there was always value for good shots given the fast outfield. Any total below 190 was always going to be difficult, and once they lost four wickets, including skipper Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, reaching even 160 appeared a distant possibility. Royals, however, found saviours in Shivam Dube (46, 32b, 5x4, 2x6), Ryan Parag (25, 16b, 4x4) and the dangerous Rahul Tewatia (40, 23b, 4x4, 2x6).

The trio remained positive even as RCB bowlers bowled several boundary bowls on a track where there was little margin for error. The fact that even the wicket-taking overs went consistently for over 10 runs showed RCB bowlers’ inconsistency. Be it genuine edges or deliberate stabs, Royals’ batsmen collected close to a dozen boundaries through the third man area. Neither Kohli fortified the area nor the bowlers refrained from providing width on the off. Despite this generosity, Royals couldn’t muster enough runs to stop the RCB juggernaut.