Devdutt Padikkal was on a rampage in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2026 opener against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28. The 25-year-old batter took the attack on the SRH bowling unit with a blasting 61 from 26 balls in the 202-run chase at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Padikkal and Virat Kohli guided the chase as RCB kicked off their title defence after gunning down the total in record 15.4 overs. Padikkal was the chief destructor in the 101-run stand with Kohli. By the time, he was dismissed in the ninth over with RCB well over 100, the game had gone too far away from the Sunrisers.
'Kohli's instruction was to keep the run-rate up': Padikkal
The left-handed batter Padikkal revealed that the only instruction from Kohli was to keep the run-rate up and keep the opposition bowlers under the pump. "It feels good to start off the new season with a win, especially at Bengaluru. The Chinnaswamy Stadium holds a special place in our hearts, and we wanted to give back to our fans who helped us win the trophy last year. When I came out to bat, Virat bhai’s only instruction was to keep the run-rate up and put pressure on the bowlers. My job was to take risks while he anchored the chase. His presence took the pressure off me and let me play freely," Padikkal said after the match in an interaction with JioStar.
Padikkal credits support staff for his evolution as batter
Meanwhile, Padikkal further credited the RCB support staff in helping him evolve as a cricketer, highlighting that the change was not just technical but also mental. "The credit for the evolution and improvement of my game goes to our Head Coach Andy Flower and our Batting Coach Dinesh Karthik bhai. They really worked hard on me. It wasn’t easy because there was a lot I needed to change. It wasn’t just technical; it was a lot mentally as well.
"I needed to really believe that I can play this aggressive brand of cricket. Over the last five or six years, T20 cricket has evolved a lot. When I first came into the IPL in 2020, the cricket we played was very different from what is being played now. So, it was important that I believed in myself that I could do it. I feel Andy and DK helped me get there," he said further.
