He scored 247 runs in 10 matches.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Virat Kohli has revealed that he told Devdutt Padikkal to play at No.3 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Previously, he opened the innings for RCB in IPL 2020 and 2021 alongside Kohli.
However, the southpaw recently sustained a hamstring injury, which has ruled him out of the remaining IPL season. His mentor Kohli stated how he motivated him before the beginning of this cash-rich league. Notably, he had also changed Padikkal’s batting position while playing the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Series in Australia.
“When we were in Australia and the auction thing was happening, you were not sure what’s going to happen and I said you’re going to bat at No.3,” said Kohli in a RCB video.
RCB has brought in Mayank Agarwal to replace the injured Padikkal in their squad. Mayank had made his IPL debut in 2011 in RCB colours, and went on to play for the franchise for three years.
After playing two years for RCB, Rajasthan Royals (RR) bought Padikkal in the IPL 2022 mega auction. However, they released him ahead of the IPL 2025 player auction, and RCB acquired him again for INR 2 crore.
The 24-year-old showed massive improvement in his game this season. He had played with a strike rate of 124.80 and 125.30, respectively, in his previous two seasons for RCB. Moreover, his strike rate had dipped to just 71.70 last season with RR.
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However, the Karnataka batter made a strong comeback in the IPL 2025 to build on the fiery start provided by Kohli and Phil Salt. He scored 247 runs in 10 matches with a strike rate of 150.61.
The Bengaluru outfit has shown tremendous form this season. They are currently placed second in the IPL 2025 points table, with 16 points in 11 matches.
The Men in Red could also finish the league stage in the top two spots, depending on their remaining three match results. RCB will next clash against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium on May 9.
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