Is Devdutt Padikkal playing tonight? Who will be Virat Kohli's partner in IPL 2021 opener?

Team India and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli made the bold call to return to the top of the order for the IPL 2021. Kohli, who has been a staple at No.3, has deviated his plans with the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind. However, doubts over the skipper's opening partner remain, with Devdutt Padikkal's availability for the game in doubt. So the question - 'Is Devdutt Padikkal playing tonight in the MI vs RCB live game?"

Is Devdutt Padikkal playing tonight? Karnataka star set top open alongside Virat Kohli 

Devdutt Padikkal was one of the brightest stars in the IPL last year as he continued his impressive domestic form into the competition. The Karnataka opener finished his debut campaign with 473 runs, the most by an RCB batsman last year. He continued his good touch into the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and the Vijay Hazare tournaments and is a lock at the top order for Bangalore. '

However, his participation in the opener against Mumbai Indians was thrown into doubt after he was tested positive for coronavirus. The 20-year-old registered a positive test on March 22 while at home and had been quarantining there since the test, before joining up with the squad earlier this week. Padikkal tested negative and is in line with all the BCCI SOPs. 

Padikkal's return would a massive boost to Virat Kohli and co. as the Karnataka batsman provides variety and balance to their top-heavy side. But should the 20-year-old be absent, it would prompt RCB to include New Zealand's Finn Allen in their playing XI, which would compromise on their middle order picks. Mohammad Azharuddeen, the Kerala youngster also deserves a look in after his impressive performances in the SMAT20 while his teammate Sachin Baby also pushes for a slot. Picking Padikkal, who has less training and match practice under his belt off late, would be a gamble against MI.

MI vs RCB live: Aussie trio ruled out for RCB squad for IPL 2021 opener 

Furthermore, the RCB squad has some key absentees for the game against Mumbai, and having Padikkal means that the RCB management will not have to compromise while selecting their XI. Australian trio Daniel Sams, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson are ruled out after the former tested positive while the latter two are under quarantine. Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson, their two big purchases of the auction, are however fit and will feature against the defending champions. With the MA Chidambaram Stadium known to aid spinners, RCB might be prompted to play Shahbaz Ahmed on Friday, ahead of Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj. 

Predicted XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Dan Christian, Shahbaz Ahmed, Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini.

(Image Courtesy: iplt20.com)