"They didn't play him in the last match" - Aakash Chopra lauds Devdutt Padikkal's knock in RCB's IPL 2025 win vs PBKS

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Devdutt Padikkal for playing a match-winning knock in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). He pointed out that the Karnataka batter was left out of the playing combination in the reverse fixture.

PBKS set RCB a 158-run target in Match 37 of IPL 2025 in Mullanpur on Sunday, April 20. Padikkal smashed 61 runs off 35 deliveries in the chase as the visitors registered a seven-wicket win with as many deliveries to spare.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener praised Padikkal for making the most of his return to the RCB playing combination.

"If we talk about RCB's batting, the biggest takeaway was Devdutt Padikkal. They didn't play him in the last match because it was a shortened game of 14 overs. So they said they would play an extra bowler and reduce a batter. When a batter was required as everyone was getting out, Manoj Bhandage was sent, and you didn't send Devdutt Padikkal," he said (9:10).

Chopra opined that Padikkal should have been chosen as the Player of the Match, as was suggested by Virat Kohli, who was given the accolade, in the post-match presentation.

"How well is Devdutt playing. Is team ka aaj, bharatiya cricket ka kal, Devdutt Padikkal (This team's today, Indian cricket's tomorrow, Devdutt Padikkal). He has come as a devdoot here. His best has always come for his team. He is actually a very, very good player. According to me and Kohli, he was the Player of the Match," he observed.

Devdutt Padikkal struck five fours and four sixes during his 61-run knock. He added 103 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (73* off 54) after Phil Salt had been dismissed for a three-ball one.

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"He breaks it down so beautifully that it seems like he is a scientist" - Aakash Chopra lauds Virat Kohli's knock in RCB's IPL 2025 win vs PBKS

Virat Kohli struck seven fours and a six during his unbeaten 73. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised Virat Kohli for playing a usual meticulous innings in a chase.

"Virat Kohli chased as he usually does. No one chases like him. He breaks it down so beautifully that it seems like he is a scientist. He now has 67 fifty-plus scores, which means 59 fifties and eight centuries," he said (10:05).

While praising Kohli for surpassing David Warner's record of the most 50-plus scores in the IPL, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that RCB should have achieved the target a little earlier.

"No one has more 50-plus scores than him. David Warner had 66, and now he has 67. He was going at almost a run-a-ball for quite some time, but accelerated in the end. I felt this match could have been finished slightly earlier. If they had done that, the net run rate would have improved a little more," Chopra observed.

RCB needed 49 runs off 7.3 overs when Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed. They consumed 38 deliveries to score those runs, with captain Rajat Patidar scoring 12 runs off 13 balls.