Devdutt Padikkal set to be retained by Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2023

RR shelled out INR 7.75 crore (a shade over 1 million USD approx) to purchase him after he was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Indian left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal will be retained by Rajasthan Royals for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, reported ESPNCricinfo on Tuesday. The southpaw has received full backing from the side led by head coach Kumar Sangakara. RR shelled out INR 7.75 crore (a shade over 1 million USD approx) to purchase him after he was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

In his two seasons with RCB, he scored 884 runs in 29 innings at an average of 31.57 and an SR of almost 125. He scored a century and six fifties for his side. In IPL 2022, both his strike rate (122.87) and average (22.11) were his lowest in the three seasons he's had at the IPL, however, he was shuffled around the batting order, opening sometimes and batting as low as No. 4 on a few occasions.

Padikkal had played two T20Is for India in 2021, and being only 22, one good season of IPL might help him claim a spot in the national side's top order, especially if India decide to move on from at least one of their top three. It was expected he would replicate the same form for one-time champs. But he scored only 376 runs in 17 matches at an average of 22.12 and strike rate of around 122, his all time low. He often could not make good use of good starts he used to get. Only one fifty came out of his bat, with his best score being 54. (ANI)

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