The batting script at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has turned and it is no longer possible to go big from the first ball, Royal Challengers Bengaluru batsman Devdutt Padikkal said on Sunday, April 5. RCB beat Chennai Super Kings in the evening match and piled up a massive 250 before dismissing CSK for 207.
RCB’s total was the highest of the season so far. However, the team did not get off to the best start after being sent into bat by ČSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. The hosts were under pressure in the first six overs, with openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt struggling for rhythm throughout the overs.
RCB vs CSK: Scorecard | Highlighting
In fact, Kohli survived twice – first a run-out chance and then a dropped catch – before finally falling for 28 off 18 balls. Salt, on the other hand, staged a late surge, scoring 46 off 30 before being dismissed by Shivam Dube in the 11th over. RCB vs CSK: Shivam Dube drops Virat Kohli’s catch.
RCB managed just 51 runs in the over, but crucially they kept their wickets while going through a difficult phase.
“I think we found that at Chinnaswamy, especially in the opening overs, the pitch was always a bit sloppy. Even last season we had a couple of games early on where we struggled with that and ended up losing maybe three or four wickets early which put us on the back foot,” said Padikkal, reflecting on past experiences.
RCB LEARN FROM 2025
RCB endured a tough run at home in 2025, losing their first three matches. According to Padikkal, the team learned from these setbacks and consciously avoided being overly aggressive in the first 10 overs.
“Halfway through last year we talked about when the wicket is behaving like that you have to make sure you keep the wickets in hand. And the moment the ball gets a bit old it’s a lot easier to hit,” he added.
“That was the main conversation to be honest. We had to make sure we weren’t three or four at the 10-over mark. And once we did that, I think we could go on,” concluded Padikkal.
Those lessons paid off on Sunday. Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal broke the shackles in the 13th over and took Shivam Dube to the cleaners. This phase shifted the momentum firmly in RCB’s favor and set the stage for Tim David to take charge.
RCB smashed 97 runs in the last five overs with David remaining unbeaten on 70 off 25 balls. Patidar was also not out on 48 off 19 to guide RCB to a commanding total against CSK.
In response, RCB struck early, removing three CSK batsmen in the first three overs to reduce them to 30/3. The visitors never recovered and were eventually bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs, giving RCB a comfortable 43-run win.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
06 Apr 2026 09:40 IST
