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#RCB #IPL #Padikkal #credits #Karnataka #captaincy #stint #helping #T20 #batter">RCB vs GT, IPL 2026: Padikkal credits Karnataka captaincy stint for helping him become better T20 batter Devdutt Padikkal credited his stint as captain of Karnataka cricket team and some tactical tweaks for sharpening his game awareness and aiding his evolution into a more complete T20 batter.
Padikkal was speaking after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League in Bengaluru on Friday, in which he played a key role alongside Virat Kohli and their bowling unit.
Padikkal said leadership responsibilities at the domestic level have given him a deeper understanding of match situations and opposition tactics.
“Definitely, I think being a captain has given me a different perspective of the game. It makes you think a lot more about how a bowler thinks, how captains are thinking on the field, what they might look to do.
“That has helped me refine parts of my game and respond better to situations,” he said at the post-match press conference.
“It gives me a little bit more of an understanding as to the situation that I’m in and how I need to respond. So yeah, I guess being the captain of Karnataka has definitely contributed in a positive way.”
The left-hander, who has shown marked improvement in his white-ball approach, added that his transformation is part of a natural progression.
“I think it’s time we forget the previous version. This is who I am now. You identify areas to improve and keep working on them,” he said.
Padikkal heaped praise on Kohli for the kind of intensity with which he plays the game despite achieving almost everything cricket could offer. His big partnership with Kohli sealed the game in RCB’s favour as it completed a chase of 206 with seven balls to spare.
He said Kohli’s intensity and passion rubs on to others in the dressing room.
“I think the biggest thing for me is his energy and intensity that he brings to every single game, every single net session. Although he’s achieved everything that is there to be achieved in this game, he still continues to give his 100 per cent in every single practice session and every single match that he plays. And that kind of commitment is very hard to find.
“And when you see someone really so driven and so passionate about the game, it really rubs off to everybody in the side as well. So I’m sure his energy is helping everyone in the team,” Padikkal said.
He also credited the RCB environment for supporting his growth.
“Since joining RCB, the management has been really good in giving me direction and a pathway. The environment in the group has been special,” he noted.
He pointed out that technical adjustments while transitioning from red-ball to T20 cricket have played a crucial role.
“If you compare my Ranji Trophy batting with IPL, you can clearly see the changes. But the belief and confidence remain the same,” he explained.
Speaking about the match, Padikkal said RCB’s bowlers did well at the death to keep GT in check.
“The last three overs (towards the end) were really important. We felt they were 15-20 runs short, which gave us confidence going into the chase,” he said.
However, he acknowledged the need to address middle-order collapses.
“Losing three or four wickets in a cluster is something we need to sharpen. We could have finished the game earlier,” he admitted.
On RCB’s chasing template, Padikkal stressed the importance of staying ahead of the required rate.
“If the rate is 10, we try to go at 11 or 12, especially in the powerplay. That cushion helps if wickets fall,” he said, adding that such an approach reflects the demands of modern T20 cricket.
Padikkal also expressed satisfaction with his own performance, particularly his ability to clear the ropes.
“The biggest plus for me was the sixes. I hit six sixes, which is not very common for me. That was quite special,” he added.
Published on Apr 25, 2026
Devdutt Padikkal credited his stint as captain of Karnataka cricket team and some tactical tweaks…
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#IPL #Virat #Kohli #hopes #return #special #Chinnaswamy #season #RCBs #win #Gujarat #Titans">IPL 2026: Virat Kohli hopes to return to ‘special’ Chinnaswamy later this season after RCB’s win over Gujarat Titans
Virat Kohli described the Chinnaswamy Stadium as a “special place to play cricket” as defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended its home campaign on a high after a controversy-ridden build-up to the season because of last year’s tragic stampede.
RCB on Friday rode on an explosive 115-run second-wicket stand between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal to overhaul Gujarat Titans’ challenging 206-run target in 18.5 overs with five wickets in hand, finishing its home leg with four wins from five games.
RCB’s two remaining ‘home’ games will be played in Raipur due to prior arrangements.
“Firstly, we were quite happy we were able to play five games here and the fans get to see the team again,” said Kohli, who made a 44-ball 81 and was adjudged the player-of-the-match.
The Chinnaswamy was cleared to host seven IPL 2026 matches, including the final, after a successful safety review by government agencies days before the tournament.
READ | Kohli, Padikkal fifties trump Sudharsan century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins again
The venue is next scheduled to host one playoff and the summit clash in May.
“We were happy to play here, it’s a special place to play cricket. It’s been brilliant to play at home and win four games. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back and play here again later in the season,” said Kohli in the post-match presentation.
Kohli was also effusive in his praise for Devdutt’s 27-ball 55, calling it the “difference” in the first half of the chase.
“To be honest, we had to assess the wicket early on because they (GT) have a quality bowling attack and chasing 200 in the Chinnaswamy, we were just one partnership away.
“This is the second time Dev (Padikkal) has come and done this. You never see him slogging the ball yet he’s playing so freely. His innings was the difference in the first half and then I was trying to stay in the game so he won’t feel the pressure,” said Kohli, who is now the Orange Cap holder with 328 runs from seven innings.
Put in to bat, Gujarat Titans had a strong 128-run opening stand in 12.4 overs, but its middle order failed to maintain momentum as RCB pulled things back, denying it an additional 10-20 runs.
“Even in our bowling innings, we did well to pull things back. We were looking at 230-235 at one stage,” said Kohli.
On the pitch, he added: “Best batting conditions we’ve had this season. So if we stayed in the game long enough it would get tougher and tougher for bowlers.
“Dev was going great guns and the idea was to keep the pressure on the bowlers. There was intent, clarity and feedback from the other and we didn’t have any doubts in the partnership and that’s what worked for us.”
We had our moments: Gill
GT skipper Shubman Gill rued the dropped chance of Kohli on zero by Washington Sundar off Mohammed Siraj.
“When a batsman gets dropped on nought, it’s always tough on the fielder but it’s important how you come back into the game,” said Gill.
“We had our moments but we were not consistently able to hit the length balls. And I think they batted beautifully in the middle overs.”
Gill also pointed out GT’s middle-overs slowdown as a key factor.
“Definitely, I think from 16th to 19th overs, we couldn’t get any boundaries and couldn’t get as many runs as we would have liked. Those were crucial overs for us.
“At the end of the powerplay, we were in a good position and it was about taking wickets in the middle overs and were not able to after the powerplay got over.”
Published on Apr 25, 2026
Virat Kohli described the Chinnaswamy Stadium as a “special place to play cricket” as defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru ended its home campaign on a high after a controversy-ridden build-up to the season because of last year’s tragic stampede.
RCB on Friday rode on an explosive 115-run second-wicket stand between Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal to overhaul Gujarat Titans’ challenging 206-run target in 18.5 overs with five wickets in hand, finishing its home leg with four wins from five games.
RCB’s two remaining ‘home’ games will be played in Raipur due to prior arrangements.
“Firstly, we were quite happy we were able to play five games here and the fans get to see the team again,” said Kohli, who made a 44-ball 81 and was adjudged the player-of-the-match.
The Chinnaswamy was cleared to host seven IPL 2026 matches, including the final, after a successful safety review by government agencies days before the tournament.
READ | Kohli, Padikkal fifties trump Sudharsan century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins again
The venue is next scheduled to host one playoff and the summit clash in May.
“We were happy to play here, it’s a special place to play cricket. It’s been brilliant to play at home and win four games. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back and play here again later in the season,” said Kohli in the post-match presentation.
Kohli was also effusive in his praise for Devdutt’s 27-ball 55, calling it the “difference” in the first half of the chase.
“To be honest, we had to assess the wicket early on because they (GT) have a quality bowling attack and chasing 200 in the Chinnaswamy, we were just one partnership away.
“This is the second time Dev (Padikkal) has come and done this. You never see him slogging the ball yet he’s playing so freely. His innings was the difference in the first half and then I was trying to stay in the game so he won’t feel the pressure,” said Kohli, who is now the Orange Cap holder with 328 runs from seven innings.
Put in to bat, Gujarat Titans had a strong 128-run opening stand in 12.4 overs, but its middle order failed to maintain momentum as RCB pulled things back, denying it an additional 10-20 runs.
“Even in our bowling innings, we did well to pull things back. We were looking at 230-235 at one stage,” said Kohli.
On the pitch, he added: “Best batting conditions we’ve had this season. So if we stayed in the game long enough it would get tougher and tougher for bowlers.
“Dev was going great guns and the idea was to keep the pressure on the bowlers. There was intent, clarity and feedback from the other and we didn’t have any doubts in the partnership and that’s what worked for us.”
We had our moments: Gill
GT skipper Shubman Gill rued the dropped chance of Kohli on zero by Washington Sundar off Mohammed Siraj.
“When a batsman gets dropped on nought, it’s always tough on the fielder but it’s important how you come back into the game,” said Gill.
“We had our moments but we were not consistently able to hit the length balls. And I think they batted beautifully in the middle overs.”
Gill also pointed out GT’s middle-overs slowdown as a key factor.
“Definitely, I think from 16th to 19th overs, we couldn’t get any boundaries and couldn’t get as many runs as we would have liked. Those were crucial overs for us.
“At the end of the powerplay, we were in a good position and it was about taking wickets in the middle overs and were not able to after the powerplay got over.”
Published on Apr 25, 2026
Virat Kohli described the Chinnaswamy Stadium as a “special place to play cricket” as defending…
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#RCB #IPL #Kohli #Padikkal #fifties #trump #Sudharsan #century #Royal #Challengers #Bengaluru #wins">RCB vs GT IPL 2026: Kohli, Padikkal fifties trump Sudharsan century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins again
A scintillating century by Sai Sudharsan was not enough as half centuries from Virat Kohli (81 off 44 balls) and Devdutt Padikkal (55 off 27 balls) helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeat Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday night.
Batting first, GT posted 205 thanks to Sudharsan’s innings (100 of 58 balls), his third century overall in the IPL. GT looked well set to amass 230 at the halfway stage of the first innings.
But some tight bowling by the RCB bowlers in the back end of the innings, not conceding a single boundary in the last four, helped the home side pull things back.
The second innings would have panned out very differently had Washington Sundar held onto a simple catch when Kohli was batting at 0, but as it happened, the opening batter made the visitor pay for the costly drop.
Chasing totals is Kohli’s bread and butter and it was just not Kohli, but also Padikkal from the other end who managed the pace of the chase to perfection, unleashing the big shots at regular intervals to leave the middle order with very little to do.
GT staged a brief fightback in the back end of the innings by dismissing Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma in quick succession, but Krunal Pandya and Tim David took RCB home.
Published on Apr 24, 2026
A scintillating century by Sai Sudharsan was not enough as half centuries from Virat Kohli (81 off 44 balls) and Devdutt Padikkal (55 off 27 balls) helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeat Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday night.
Batting first, GT posted 205 thanks to Sudharsan’s innings (100 of 58 balls), his third century overall in the IPL. GT looked well set to amass 230 at the halfway stage of the first innings.
But some tight bowling by the RCB bowlers in the back end of the innings, not conceding a single boundary in the last four, helped the home side pull things back.
The second innings would have panned out very differently had Washington Sundar held onto a simple catch when Kohli was batting at 0, but as it happened, the opening batter made the visitor pay for the costly drop.
Chasing totals is Kohli’s bread and butter and it was just not Kohli, but also Padikkal from the other end who managed the pace of the chase to perfection, unleashing the big shots at regular intervals to leave the middle order with very little to do.
GT staged a brief fightback in the back end of the innings by dismissing Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma in quick succession, but Krunal Pandya and Tim David took RCB home.
Published on Apr 24, 2026
A scintillating century by Sai Sudharsan was not enough as half centuries from Virat Kohli…
