Devdutt Padikkal is one of the top young batsmen emerging from Indian domestic cricket in recent times. He is now considered one of the key players for the Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the Indian Premier League 2021 season.

Padikkal made a fantastic IPL debut last season, scoring 473 runs in 15 matches and finishing 

the season as one of the highest scorers for RCB, according to ESPN Cricinfo.   Although RCB failed to make an impact, Padikkal’s talent was well noticed.

Padikkal was one of the best players for Karnataka in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy and was the leading run-getter in the tournament with 609 runs, according to Criccbuzz. 

He not only scored 58 in the opening game against Jharkhand, but also hit three consecutive tons during the tournament. He  scored a career best 152 against Odisha and followed it up with 126 not out versus Kerala and then hit 145 off 125 balls against Railways.

Padikkal was born in Kerala, however, his parents later moved to Hyderabad and later settled in Bangalore. The youngster made his first class debut against Maharashtra in 2018 and has 907 runs to his name in 15 matches. He recently received the best batsman award from Karnataka State Cricket Association.