
Bengaluru, Feb. 8: The wait is almost over as Indian Premier League franchises are gearing up for the mega IPL auction set to unfold in Bengaluru this weekend.
Ahead of the auction, talking to RCB Podcast, Karnataka player Devdutt Padikkal, who has been a key member of the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up over the last couple of years, opened up about his first game with the Bangalore team.
Padikkal, who had formed a lethal opening partnership with Virat Kohli at RCB, has not been retained for the upcoming edition. The opener was one of the key reasons behind RCB's place in the playoffs in the previous edition.
Reflecting on his first game, Padikkal shared an anecdote with RCB Podcast, revealing that the RCB management showed a lot faith in him since day one. "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.
"The fact that they immediately put 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," said Padikkal, who will be one of the star attractions of the upcoming auction.
With his base price set at Rs. 2 crore, the Karnataka player draw a lot of interest from all the teams.