Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal of RCB (Image: IPL/ BCCI) Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow today with Phil Salt still recovering from injury. Former India captain Kris Srikkanth believes Devdutt Padikkal should start alongside Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell, who opened in Salt’s absence, should bat in the middle order instead.Bethell’s role has become a major talking point in the cricketing world this season. After being on the bench for the first six matches despite arriving on the back of an impressive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, Bethell finally got his chance following Salt’s injury. However, he has managed just 39 runs at a strike rate of 150 in the three matches so far.Srikkanth feels that RCB lack an explosive presence at the top of the order.
- “Salt brought the demolition factor. Other teams, with players like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head or Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, bring that demolition factor that RCB lacks. Salt brought them that attacking structure. You need a swashbuckler at the top and that’s missing,” Srikkanth’Cheeka’Cheeky said on his YouTube channel.
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Justin Langer finds positives in LSG defeat, praises Nicholas Pooran and backs Rishabh PantHe also suggested that Devdutt Padikkal should open alongside Virat Kohli, with Bethell moving into the middle order.
- “Perhaps Padikkal should open for them against LSG and Bethell can get into the middle order. RCB’s middle order also collapsed against quality bowling. After Padikkal, the ranks collapsed four to seven times,” he added.
Devdutt Padikkal has completely transformed his T20 game this year, moving away from his previous reputation as a slow starter to become one of the most aggressive top-order batsmen in the league. He has been a consistent force at No.3 for RCB, providing explosive starts that have defined their batting strategy this season. In the 9 matches RCB has played so far, he has started every match and scored 282 runs at a success rate of 188. His IPL success follows a prolific 2025–26 domestic season for Karnataka, where he was the top scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (725 runs at 90.62) and captained its state final.Srikkanth further said that RCB’s balanced squad should help them secure a place in the playoffs in IPL 2026.
- “They have the best record in both bowling and batting among all teams. That means they can play well on any kind of wicket. RCB will definitely qualify for the playoffs, but whether they finish in the top two remains a question,” he said.
The former opener also highlighted Kohli’s importance ahead of the crucial clash in Lucknow.
- “Virat Kohli is the key for RCB in this match. He is used to playing on wickets like the one in Lucknow. He has to play long innings, at least till 15 overs. This is a crucial match for LSG, whose bowling is good but batting remains an issue,” Srikkanth said.
