IPL 2022: Playing for RCB from very first game gave me confidence, says Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal has said playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from the very first game of the season gave him a lot of confidence.

Padikkal made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut during the 2020 season for RCB. The Karnataka opener scored a half-century on his maiden appearance for RCB. He struck eight fours in his knock of 56 off 42 balls as he shared a 90-run opening stand with Aaron Finch. Padikkal finished his first IPL season with 473 runs in 15 matches.

"Simon actually came out and told me that you'll be playing the first game. I wasn't expecting it to be honest. I thought they might bench me a couple of games before they gave me a spot in the squad," Padikkal told The RCB Podcast while speaking about his first game for the team.

Despite scoring 884 runs in 29 matches at an average of 31.57 for RCB, across two seasons, Padikkal was not retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction. RCB have retained only three players: Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj and Glenn Maxwell.

"The fact that they immediately put me in from the first game gave me so much confidence. They have that trust and belief in me that I can straightaway get into the team and start performing. All you need is confidence from the management and coaches," he added.

AB de Villiers: RCB is family to me

Meanwhile, former RCB star AB de Villiers has said the Bangalore-based IPL team is "family" to him.

"RCB to me is family. I mean it has been a life-changing 10-11 years to me. Like any other family, there are ups and downs. There are beautiful, they're amazing rides; there's a bit of everything. There are good relationships and then there are those which go sour and that is all part of the fun," de Villiers told The RCB Podcast.

De Villiers spent a decade with RCB between 2011 and 2021. Towards the end of last year, de Villiers announced retirement from all forms of cricket.

"I look back with no regrets. I think back on my career at RCB as the most amazing years of my life. I have had the privilege of experiencing IPL cricket, the Indian crowd, and the Indian way of doing things for the last 15 years. Obviously growing up in India would have been interesting. Maybe I would have never played for India, who knows. It is tough to make it to the Indian team; you have to be a special player," added de Villiers, who finished his IPL career with over 5,000 runs.

It will be interesting to see which franchise secures Padikkal. The mega auction ahead of IPL 2022, is scheduled to take place on Feb. 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.