‘Virat bhai’s only instruction was…’: Padikkal on Kohli’s advice during IPL 2026 season opener against SRH Devdutt Padikkal was all smiles after Royal Challengers Bengaluru opened their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign with a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.The left-hander played the decisive hand in the chase as he blasted 61 off just 26 balls, an innings studded with four sixes and seven boundaries at a pace of 234.62. Alongside him, Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 deliveries. The duo put together a quick-fire stand of 101 off just 45 balls, helping the defending champions overhaul the target of 202 off 26 balls.
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RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute and squad update Speaking on Star Sports ‘Amul Cricket Live’, Padikkal shed light on his approach during the chase and revealed the instructions he received from Kohli at the other end.“It feels good to start the new season with a win, especially in Bengaluru. Chinnaswamy Stadium has a special place in our hearts and we wanted to give back to our fans who helped us win the trophy last year. When I went to bat, Virat bhai’s only instruction was to keep the pace and put pressure on the bowlers,” he said as he anchored the risk. My job was to take risks.Padikkal explained that Kohli’s presence at the crease allowed him to play with freedom and take risks. Despite the early dismissal of Phil Salt, the pair ensured that the momentum never faltered, denying Hyderabad any chance of a comeback.“His presence took the pressure off me and let me play freely. We knew that SRH’s bowling was not very strong, so we believed that we could chase down the target smoothly. We lost Phil Salt early but it was important to keep the pressure on so that SRH didn’t get a chance to come back into the game. We did well and secured the win,” Padikkal said.The youngster also credited head coach Andy Flower and mentor Dinesh Karthik for shaping his T20 evolution, both technically and mentally, and helping him adopt a more attacking approach.“The credit for developing and improving my game goes to our head coach Andy Flower and our batting coach Dinesh Karthik bhai. They really worked hard on me. It wasn’t easy because I needed to change a lot. It wasn’t just technical, it was a lot mentally. I really needed to believe that I can play this aggressive brand of cricket,” said Padikkal.“Over the last five or six years, T20 cricket has evolved a lot. When I first came into the IPL in 2020, the cricket we played was very different to what is played now. So it was important for me to believe I could do it. I feel Andy and DK helped me get there,” he added.Earlier in the evening, Sunrisers Hyderabad recovered well after a shaky start to post 201/9. The first blows saw Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Reddy fall in the power play, but a strong counter-attack followed.Ishan Kishan led the charge with a blistering 80 off 38 balls, including eight fours and five sixes, while Aniket Verma chipped in with a brisk 43 off just 18 deliveries.
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For Bengaluru, Jacob Duffy (3/22) and Romario Shepherd (3/54) took three wickets each. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma took one wicket each.In reply, Kohli’s unbeaten knock anchored the chase, while Padikkal’s explosive cameo decisively turned the game around. Skipper Rajat Patidar added a quickfire 31 off just 12 balls, smashing three sixes and two fours as RCB sealed a four-wicket victory.The win also saw Bengaluru record the fastest successful chase of a 200-plus target in IPL history, reaching 202 in just 15.4 overs.
