Virat Kohli was full of praise for Devdutt Padikkal, who fired to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) start their IPL 2026 campaign with a win. On Saturday, March 28 RCB beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and began their title defense in style.
Padikkal, who came on as Impact Sub for Jacob Duffy, raced to a 21-ball fifty to put RCB in control. The left-hander scored 61 off 26 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes as RCB chased down 202 with 26 balls to spare.
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IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Scorecard – Highlights
Kohli praised Padikkal’s exceptional innings and said he wanted to keep him on strike from the start. Coming after Phil Salt’s dismissal, Padikkal’s aggressive batting left Sunrisers little room to breathe in the IPL opener.
“Excellent knock. Right from the start I was planning to be aggressive in the power bowler, but when I saw him play, I just wanted to keep him on strike and hit the odd boundary here and there. He completely took the game away from the opposition,” Kohli told television stations after the match.
“I remember telling him after that shot over mid-on off a slower ball for six, just keep going, you’re hitting the ball so well, don’t stop pushing and take the game away from the opposition. We’ve finished with 25-26 (26) balls and we’ll also increase the clean run rate,” said Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 69.
‘RECORDED TALENT’
Padikkal entered the IPL after an impressive Ranji Trophy season, scoring 543 runs at an average of 60.33, including a top score of 232 against Uttarakhand. Kohli said he was not surprised by Padikkal’s knock, adding that his confident display reflected his world-class talent and exceptional batting ability.
“His batting has been tremendous. I’ve seen him up close and his skills are incredible. After a great season at home with the red ball, his timing, head position and balance were world class. I knew what he could do when he was confident and tonight was just a showcase of his sheer talent,” Kohli added.
Padikkal, Kohli and RCB will look to carry their winning momentum into the next encounter against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday, April 5 in Bengaluru.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
29 March 2026 0:14 IST
