Duleep Trophy 2025: Devdutt Padikkal's quickfire half-century powers South Zone
What's the story
Playing his first competitive match since the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), Devdutt Padikkal made his mark in the Duleep Trophy semi-final. Playing for South Zone against North Zone, the left-handed batter hammered a 71-ball 57. He added a 128-run stand with N Jagadeesan after North Zone elected to field on Day 1 at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground, Bengaluru.
Knock
Padikkal's valuable stand with Jagadeesan
Openers Jagadeesan and Tanmay Agarwal flattened the North Zone bowling attack after South Zone were invited to bat. They added a 103-run partnership before Nishant Sindhu dismissed Agarwal for 43 (99). Jagadeesan was joined by Padikkal thereafter, as the duo took South Zone past 230. While the former completed his ton, Anshul Kamboj dismissed Padikkal in the 60th over. The latter slammed 7 fours.
Stats
A look at his red-ball stats
Padikkal, who slammed 57 off 71 balls, raced past 2,850 runs in First-Class cricket. The Karnataka batter, who plays for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has already shown his flamboyance at the big stage. In 44 red-ball encounters, Padikkal has racked up 2,872 runs at an average of over 41. His tally includes 6 tons and 18 half-centuries.