Devdutt Padikkal was crucial for RCB at No. 3 last season. He amassed 247 runs at a strike rate of 150.60 in 10 games. He scored two half-centuries during the season until an injury prevented him from playing till the very end. There will be rivalry for the No. 3 position in the RCB batting order in IPL 2026 as a result of Venkatesh’s arrival. Padikkal isn’t overly upset, though, and he thinks that both of them can contribute significantly to the reigning champions’ success in the forthcoming campaign.
Before the 2025 Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were eager to sign Venkatesh Iyer. But in the end, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) paid an incredible INR 23.75 crore to keep him. The Knights made the decision to cut the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder after he had a lacklustre season for the three-time IPL 2025 champions. During the IPL 2026 mini-auction, RCB had another chance to get the southpaw, and they did so for INR 7 crore.
“You will undoubtedly face competition if you play in the IPL. I have participated in numerous games both with and against Venky, who is an excellent player. His presence on the side is something I am excited about. “I hope we can both help the team win,” he posted on InsideSport’s YouTube page.
This season, Padikkal has been playing domestic cricket in outstanding form.
With 721 runs in eight innings at an average of 103 and a strike rate of 100.27, he is now the top scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. So far, the Karnataka batsman has scored two fifties and four hundreds.
At the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru on Monday, January 12, Padikkal struck an undefeated 81 off 95 balls in the opening quarterfinal matchup with Mumbai. Karnataka advanced to the semi-final after winning the game by 55 runs using the VJD technique.
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