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Devdutt Padikkal likely to play against Hyderabad – Mike Hesson

Bangalore Director of Cricket operations Mike Hesson has hinted that Devdutt Padikkal will be featuring in their team’s XI for the match against Hyderabad. The young batsman from Karnataka missed out on the first match as he was still recovering from COVID-19.

Bangalore began their campaign with a nervy win against Mumbai in the tournament opener. In that match, captain Virat Kohli opened the innings with a makeshift opener, Washington Sundar. The left-handed Tamil Nadu batsman managed only 10 runs off 16 balls.

In a video posted by Bangalore on their social media, Hesson hinted that Padikkal will be coming back into the side after being fully fit and might be seen in action against Hyderabad. “He (Devdutt Padikkal) has come back nicely and will be fully fit, so he will certainly be considered for the game (against SRH) and most likely play,” Mike Hesson said.

In the same video, Hesson was asked about the other possible changes in the playing XI to which the New Zealander suggested that the final decision will only be taken after having a look at the surface. The match between Bangalore and Hyderabad will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

“Outside of that (Devdutt Padikkal), it’s more a balance issue in terms of how we want to look. Finn Allen has come out of quarantine and has looked in great touch. We will get the likes of Zamps (Adam Zampa) and Richo (Kane Richardson) back heading into the next game (against KKR) as well. We just have to make decisions once we see the surface and how we want to operate,” Hesson added.

Bangalore started their season with a close win against the defending champions Mumbai.