The promising 25-year-old batsman Devdutt Padikkal has taken the headlines in the qualifier of the KSCA Maharaja T20 as the Hubli Tigers took on the Mangaluru Dragons in an enticing encounter. Padikkal who
was also the Captain of the Hubli Tigers opened the innings in sensational fashion, smashing boundaries left and right and adding a crucial 81 runs partnership in just 10 overs playing alongside Mohammed Taha.
Padikkal kept on bashing the bowlers even after the wicket of Taha and added another valuable partnership of 105 runs with Abhinav Manohar. He eventually entered his 90s and was smelling a glorious century on the cards. However, fortunes did not favour the 25-year-old as he fell short of a well-deserved century and remained not out on 99 runs off just 64 balls. The batsman was ever close to getting to a century and had three balls to achieve the milestone. However, in the end the bowler Kranthi Kumar stood his ground and restricted Padikkal to only two singles of the final deliveries which left Padikkal disappointed.
Devdutt Padikkal has regained his lost form playing for the Hubli Tigers
Devdutt Padikkal smashed a total of Ten fours and fives sixes in an extravagant fiesta of boundaries and sixes which helped the Hubli Tigers to finish on a total of 210 runs for just two wickets in the 20 overs. The Mangaluru Dragons crumbled in their batting and fell one by one and were bowled out by the Hubli Tigers for just 100 runs managing to win the match comfortably by 110 runs and qualifying for the next round
Padikkal who was injured in the middle of the IPL and managing to score only 247 runs in the 10 matches that he played for RCB has finally managed to find his rhythm again. He has made a staggering comeback in the domestic scene and has scored 439 runs in 11 innings for the Hubli Tigers as they are currently in the second position in the league with seven wins in ten matches.
