Padikkal has scored 111 runs in two matches in IPL (Courtesy: AFP)

How RCB homecoming changed Devdutt Padikkal and helped him find his brand of cricket

Devdutt Padikkal revealed how the IPL 2025 auction was the turning point of his career and how he found his style of cricket during his second stint in RCB. Padikkal has scored two fifties in as many games during IPL 2026.

07 Apr 2026, 14:34 by Alan Jose John · India Today

In Short

Padikkal has hit two fifties in as many games in IPL 2026
The southpaw wanted to stick to a style of cricket with RCB
RCB bought Padikkal back in 2025 auction for Rs 2 crore

Devdutt Padikkal has experienced a career revival since rejoining Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of the IPL 2025 season. He first made his mark in 2020, earning the emerging player of the year award after scoring 473 runs in his debut season and followed it up with his maiden century the next year.

After being released by RCB in 2022 before the auction, Padikkal's career momentum slowed during brief spells with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants. However, RCB bought him back for Rs. 2 crore in the 2025 auction, with many expecting him to serve as a squad player. Under the guidance of coaches Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik, Padikkal has successfully reinvented himself as a No. 3 batsman for Bengaluru.

In the 2025 season, the southpaw scored 247 runs in 10 matches. He has improved further in IPL 2026, amassing 111 runs in two games at an average of 55.5 and an impressive strike rate of 201.82.

This includes back-to-back fifties against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings. In a video shared by RCB, Padikkal described the 2025 auction as a turning point in his career, marking his commitment to a specific brand of cricket.

“I feel that auction was probably the turning point of my career in a lot of ways. I was at that stage of my career where I needed to really commit to the type of cricket I want to play, the kind of cricketer I wanted to be. And coming back to RCB paved my path towards the brand of cricket I wanted to play,” he said.

'I NEEDED TO REALLY COMMIT'

Since his return to RCB, Padikkal has adopted a more adventurous approach, prioritising power over the finesse that characterised his earlier stint.

“When I got that opportunity with RCB, I feel that’s the day I decided that there are a lot of things that I need to do and I needed to really commit to working on those things regardless of what the outcome may be, what the result may be,” Padikkal added.

His resurgence has been evident across domestic competitions, with Karthik suggesting Padikkal is now in contention for a call-up to the Indian national team.

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