No need for Padikkal to quarantine: Simon Katich

In what was his debut season, Devdutt Padikkal rose to prominence in Dream 11 IPL 2020. He ended the tournament as RCB’s highest run-getter with 473 runs in 15 matches, including five half-centuries. He continued his red-hot form in the subsequent domestic white-ball tournaments. The Eddapal-born batsman gathered 243 runs at an average of 43.60 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scripted a slew of impactful performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, aggregating 737 runs at an astronomical average of 147.40. He entered the annals of List A cricket history by slamming four consecutive centuries. 

The 20-year-old, who tested positive for COVID-19 last month, is now in Chennai after returning mandated negative tests. RCB head coach Simon Katich confirmed to the media on Tuesday that the southpaw can immediately join the bubble without having to go through quarantine process if he tests negative.

“Devdutt will be available for practice immediately. From what I’ve been told, he does not need the quarantine process. The medical officers have informed me that Devdutt can come to Chennai and start training straight away. In a way, he is in the same situation as Virat (Kohli), Washington (Sundar) and A.B. de Villiers, who get out of quarantine on Wednesday,” Katich was quoted as saying in a media interaction. 

Needless to say, Yuzvendra Chahal is now an indispensable part of the RCB bowling attack. He features in the list of the top ten highest wicket-takers in the IPL with 121 wickets. Despite a disappointing outing against England, the Australian backed the veteran spinner to deliver the goods for RCB in the IPL 2021. With the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa and Shahbaz Ahmed, RCB has a vast amount of spin bowling options to turn to. 

“England is a very good team, and Chahal had a tough time. However, in the IPL, his record is second to none. He’s done a great job for RCB. Chahal bowled very well in our first practice match — he took wickets, got spin and had all the variations. At his best, he’s a match-winner. We start our tournament in Chennai, which historically assists spinners,” Katich said.

Convinced of the security protocols put in place for the tournament, Simon is confident that BCCI will ensure that the bubble is not breached at any point and the tournament goes ahead as planned without any roadblocks. 

“The cases are a lot higher in India this time around. But we are confident that the people employed by the BCCI will ensure that the bubble is not breached," RCB head coach added.