Delhi: Left-handed star batsman Devdutt Padikkal has played a major role in the success of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The young batsman said that batting with the great batsman Virat Kohli in his initial IPL season gave him an opportunity to learn the art of making innings in T20 cricket.

Padikkal told that when he made his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the year 2020, he was completely prepared mentally. His consistent good performance in domestic cricket had boosted his confidence. At such a time, batting with a legendary player like Virat Kohli proved to be very important for his career.

Learned the art of handling innings from Virat Kohli

Padikkal said that by watching Kohli closely and batting with him, he understood how to progress the innings according to the conditions in T20 cricket. He admitted that this learning he received at an early age was very helpful in his cricketing development.

Experience with Rajasthan and Lucknow strengthened

The left-handed batsman said that after Royal Challengers Bangalore, playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was an important phase of his career. By playing in different batting orders, he got the experience to adapt himself to new conditions.

He told that it was not easy to leave the opening and bat in the middle order, but from this he learned to play under pressure, understand the match situation and bring changes in his batting.

Bad phase of IPL 2024 becomes a lesson

Devdutt Padikkal also remembered his difficult phase of IPL 2024. He said that that season was very challenging for him and at that time he was struggling with many things mentally.

According to Padikkal, to come out of bad times, it is necessary to accept them. He said that after that season he had clearly understood which aspects needed to be worked on in his batting.

Dinesh Karthik and Andy Flower changed their thinking

After returning to Royal Challengers Bangalore, Padikkal made changes in both his batting technique and mentality.

He gave credit for this to team mentor Dinesh Karthik and head coach Andy Flower.

Padikkal said that technical changes were necessary to maintain coordination between red ball and white ball cricket. Besides, he also made his thinking more aggressive. Now he comes out to bat with the intention of scoring runs on every ball and the effect of this change is visible in his performance.

This is how you get benefits

The young batsman believes that the strong batting lineup of Royal Challengers Bangalore gives the top-order batsmen the confidence to play freely.

He said that when there are batsmen who play big shots down the team, then the top order players can take the risk of scoring runs quickly. To add extra 20-30 runs for the team, one has to take the risk of losing wickets.

Huge praise for Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Devdutt Padikkal also openly praised Rajasthan Royals’ young opening batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He said that the kind of power and explosive batting prowess he is showing at such a young age is very special.

According to Padikkal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is an amazing talent and his batting can prove to be a great hope for Indian cricket in the future.

It is noteworthy that Devdutt Padikkal’s statement shows how deep an impact experienced players like Virat Kohli have on young cricketers. Padikkal’s game has improved by playing in different teams and roles. His confidence and aggressive attitude has emerged as an important reason for the success of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2026.