Earlier, debutant Padikkal (56) and AB de Villiers (51) smashed half-centuries, powering the RCB to 163 for five in 20 overs. The RCB were off to a flying start, thanks to Padikkal and Aaron Finch as the opening pair accumulated 53 runs in the first six overs of powerplay.
Padikkal, an attacking batsman who had hogged limelight after amassing 580 runs in the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, kept his skipper’s faith intact as his explosive batting impressed everyone. The 20-year-old batsman picked up boundaries off every lose delivery and kept the scorers busy.
The openers comfortably took their side to 86 at the end of first 10 overs of play. It was Vijay Shankar who finally came up with a breakthrough for the SRH, breaking the 90-run partnership in the 11th over. While trying to switch gears, an inside edge off a Shankar delivery was enough to dislodge Padikkal’s stumps….
