IPL 2025: Devdutt Padikkal’s Season Ends Prematurely Due to Hamstring Injury

One of the best teams of the 18th IPL season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), continues to fight for the playoffs. The franchise has won four in a row (five in the last six games) and has a good chance of becoming one of the best teams. But it suffered a serious loss the other day. One of the leaders, Devdutt Padikkal, will not play again this season due to a hamstring injury. This is a heavy loss for the team’s batting order.

Mayank Agarwal Steps in as Replacement 

The Royal Challengers have acted quickly to name a replacement, bringing in seasoned Karnataka cricketer Mayank Agarwal. He began his IPL career with RCB and returns to the franchise with a wealth of experience. Agarwal played 127 league matches and scored over 1700 runs, including a century and 13 half-centuries. 

Agarwal, who went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction after a lackluster 2024 season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has been signed by RCB for INR 1 Crore. His recent form in domestic cricket and familiarity with the Royal Challengers setup could prove crucial for the team.

Padikkal’s Impact in IPL 2025 

Despite inconsistent performances in previous IPL seasons, Padikkal found his form in 2025, excelling in a new role at No.3. He scored 247 runs in 10 games at an impressive strike rate of 150.61. His contributions, including two fluent half-centuries, played a key role in RCB’s rise to second place on the points table.

What Next 

With IPL 2025 entering a crucial stage, imagining a worse time for Padikkal’s injury was hard. Royal Challengers hope that Agarwal can adapt quickly and seamlessly integrate into the top order, giving it stability. In the group stage, the team only has to play the franchises in the second half of the table (LSG, SRH, and KKR), so everything is in their hands.