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The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have started their title defence on a solid note with two victories in a row. They defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their season opener, and they thrashed their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings in their next game. The way RCB have dominated their first two games with their batting, they are looking strong to defend their title this year. 

Devdutt Padikkal, the number three for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a name that often gets overshadowed by other star players, including Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and Rajat Patidar, has been proving his mettle yet again for this team. After three editions, this 25-year-old batter returned to his home during the last edition and rocked the season with 247 runs in 10 innings. His numbers might not be huge, but his contributions were definitely. 

He has become a backbone for the team at the top order, providing stability with aggressive acceleration. After a stellar domestic season, this 25-year-old batter continued his form and hammered two back-to-back half-centuries in the first two matches of the IPL 2026. He scored 61 off 26 deliveries against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, then scored 50 off 29 deliveries against the CSK in the second match.

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Dinesh Karthik, the current mentor of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, thinks that the kind of form Padikkal is in, it will be difficult to keep him out of the Indian Cricket Team setup. He further added that it will be hard for the national selectors to ignore Padikkal’s skills if he keeps going like this. 

On Star Sports’ Amul Cricket Live, Karthik said: 

“If he continues batting like this, it will be difficult to keep him out of the Indian team for long. He has scored heavily in domestic cricket, and we know he’s a quality player. What’s also impressive is the way he’s stepping up as a leader in the Karnataka dressing room. Even at 25, he contributes with his ideas and leadership, and that’s great to see.”

The left-handed batter had battled a difficult phase in his life where he was struggling with a serious intestinal condition and recurring stomach infections between 2021 and 2023. After making his Test debut for the Indian team in 2024 during the England series, he played two Test matches. He has been out of the setup currently. 

However, he has been phenomenal with his numbers in the domestics. Padikkal recently scored 543 runs in six Ranji Trophy matches, knocking on the door for his return. During the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), Padikkal collected 725 runs in 10 matches at a phenomenal batting average of 90. He also scored 309 runs in six Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) matches at an average of over 60.