IPL 2020: Devdutt Padikkal has taken a huge weight off the three big guns of RCB, says Brad Hogg

Former Australia and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Brad Hogg said that Devdutt Padikkal has taken a huge weight off the shoulders of the three big guns in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batting line-up. His consistency at the top has made things easy for the middle-order.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been the crux of the RCB batting line-up for several years now. Australia limited-overs captain Aaron Finch was also added to the mix this season and was expected to make good contributions as an opener.

However, the young Indian batsman has outperformed his opening partner, having amassed 243 runs with three half-centuries from just seven matches. Devdutt Padikkal has also been able to maintain a healthy strike rate of 126.56.

“The rise of Padikkal has added extra spice in the top four of RCB taking a huge weight off the shoulders of the three big guns Finch, Kohli, & De Villiers. Padikkal the pick of the tournament at the halfway mark,” Hogg tweeted.

The 20-year-old's performances in the first half of IPL 2020 also prompted Brad Hogg to pick him as the player of the tournament so far.

‘RCB the real deal this year’, says Brad Hogg

The rise of Padikkal has added extra spice in the top four of RCB taking a huge weight off the shoulders of the three big guns Finch, Kohli, & De Villiers. Padikkal the pick of the tournament at the half way mark. @RCBTweets are the real deal this year. #RCBvKKR #IPL2020 #KKRvRCB

— Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg) October 13, 2020

Brad Hogg added that RCB is a force to reckon with this year. Following the clinical victory over KKR, they have five wins from seven games and have moved onto the third position behind Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.

Check out the latest points table

Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers have been consistent right from the start. With Virat Kohli finding form after a scratchy beginning to the tournament and Aaron Finch scoring runs against KKR, everyone in the top-order has found their touch.

Every time Finchy and Padikkal have put on a 5️⃣0️⃣ run partnership, RCB wins 💯% of the matches. 🔝 #PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengers #Dream11IPL #RCBvKKR pic.twitter.com/W8MdbYIS3p

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) October 12, 2020

The bowling department has presented a problem for RCB over the years, but they also seem to be doing the job for the franchise this season. The pace trio of Navdeep Saini, Chris Morris and Isuru Udana have been bowling well while spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar have been able to complement them superbly.

Check out the IPL 2020 schedule here

RCB has a busy schedule ahead of them this week. They face Kings XI Punjab next on Thursday, followed by the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday and Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.