Bengaluru, Aug 1 (UNI) Young left-handed opening batter Devdutt Padikkal feels that the upcoming Maharaja KSCA Trophy is a great platform to provide opportunities to talented cricketers in Karnataka. In the recent draft of the tournament, Padikkal has drafted into the Gulbarga Mystics side alongside India and Karnataka colleague Manish Pandey. Padikkal came into the national radar with sparkling performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before being signed on by the Rajasthan Royals in the mega-auction ahead of the 2022 season, where they finished as runners-up. He had also turned out for Bellary Tuskers in the erstwhile Karnataka Premier League (KPL). “Karnataka has a huge amount of talent and I have played with most of the players while growing up. And I have seen players coming from various parts of the state. So, they’re not any less talented than players in Bengaluru.” “They definitely need to be given the opportunity and I feel this tournament will provide that opportunity. Having them around will only improve the quality of the tournament. As long as we are getting games and we are out there, that’s all that matters, at the end of the day, we are here to play,” said Padikkal in an official release.
Padikkal, who made two T20I appearances for the Indian team on their tour of Sri Lanka last year, is a firm believer in giving his best self on the field irrespective of whether he’s picked in playing eleven or not. “For me throughout my career, progress has been stepping by step and there haven’t been any sudden big jumps. It started from U-14 and then up to the Ranji team, and it’s been a proper line of progress.” “The KPL too came at the right time for me as I felt I was ready to put myself out there and show what I am capable of. I was playing well at the time and to have the platform for any young cricketer, anywhere in India, is a great thing.”
