Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor Dinesh Karthik has voiced his strong support for Devdutt Padikkal, highlighting the left-handed batsman’s impressive form as he bids for a place in India’s T20I squad. Karthik praised Padikkala’s composure under pressure and consistent performances, suggesting he will be difficult for the selectors to overlook in an already talent-rich squad.
Padikkal started the IPL 2026 season for RCB with consecutive fifties. He recovered from a slow start to score a 29-ball fifty against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. RCB posted a record 250 in 20 overstheir highest against the five-time champions. In the opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he played a more aggressive innings, scoring 61 off 21 balls, including four sixes.
“He hasn’t slipped under the radar in our eyes,” Karthik told JioHotstar after RCB’s 43-run win over CSK on Sunday.
“First and foremost is his determination. He’s very, very determined in what he does. On a pitch like this, when a batsman doesn’t get going – especially after an innings like the first game – it’s very easy to go for a big shot and throw it away. You feel like you’re batting well and you just need to connect one, but that often leads to something that’s really unnecessary. When he found his first boundary, he flipped the switch.”
“He bats in such a way that I’m not sure you can keep him out of the Indian team for too long. He plays proper cricket strokes and hits the ball cleanly for distance. He is a proper Test player and has scored more than 2,000 runs this season,” he added.
When asked where Padikkal might fit into the senior national team – given the depth of the team that won the T20 World Cup last month – Karthik described it as a “headache” for the selectors. He added that the Karnataka batter will certainly be part of the conversation when the squads are picked after IPL 2026.
Karthik also emphasized that Padikkal’s contributions go beyond his batting. The 25-year-old, who captained Karnataka in the previous domestic season, is emerging as a strong voice in the leadership group.
“That’s the challenge – where to put him. But he has to be part of the conversation. He’s as good as anyone out there. This is a big stage and he tries to do what the team requires. He’s the leader of the Karnataka side and that shows in the dressing room. He’s open, he shares his views and as a support team we’ve enjoyed having him in the group,” said Karth.
HORRIBLE RIDE
At 25, Padikkal has already experienced significant ups and downs in his career. Even his promising run with RCB in IPL 2025 – 247 runs in 10 matches – was cut short by injury.
The elegant left-hander’s meteoric rise has been nearly derailed by a debilitating chronic bowel disease and a persistent stomach infection that severely affected his health between 2021 and 2023. At the height of his illness – further complicated by a bout of Covid-19 – Padikkal lost nearly 10 kilograms and suffered from such extreme fatigue that he often struggled to field after batting. This period of physical vulnerability led to a sharp decline in both his IPL and domestic performances, raising doubts about whether his early promise would be fulfilled. However, thanks to a careful recovery process involving a strict diet and customized fitness regime, he staged a remarkable comeback in late 2023 and made his Test debut in 2024.
Over the past two years, Padikkal has been prolific in domestic 50-over cricket. In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he amassed 725 runs in 10 matches at an average of 90. This was followed by an impressive performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 309 runs in six matches at an average of over 60 and a strike tally approaching 180.
His red-ball form—543 runs in six Ranji Trophy matches at an average of 61—is likely to put him back in the Test reckoning. However, a strong IPL season remains crucial if he is to make his case for selection in India’s T20I squad.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
06 Apr 2026 15:57 IST
