Devdutt Padikkal made 39 and added 92 runs with Virat Kohli as RCB defeated KKR by 5 wickets.
Virat Kohli had entered the match in Raipur following back-to-back ducks. It was never easy, according to Padikkal, to recover from that kind of scrutiny, especially for someone who has Kohli's level of expectations every game.
“It was incredible to watch. I think I had the best seat in the house tonight. Some of the shots he played were simply remarkable. Obviously, coming into this game after two ducks is never easy, and he showed why he is who he is,” Devdutt Padikkal said in the post-match press conference.
Chasing 193, RCB lost Jacob Bethell early and once again found themselves needing a stabilizing partnership at the top. Then Padikkal joined Kohli and added 92 runs for the second wicket, ensuring that there were no more setbacks during the middle overs.
One batter attacking while the other anchored the chase was not thoroughly discussed, according to Padikkal. Instead, the focus was on batting deep enough to leave the rest of the lineup with a manageable finish.
“I think we didn’t really go into the specifics of anchoring. It was more about making sure that we took the game to a certain stage where we felt that the rest of our batting lineup would be in a comfortable position,” Padikkal said.
He also revealed that RCB had struggled in recent games, as they had lost early wickets and then failed to string together partnerships to rebuild the innings. “Both of us spoke about just elongating that partnership as long as possible and then taking it from there,” Padikkal said.
Kohli finished on 105* with 11 fours and 3 sixes, while Padikkal was dismissed for 39 runs as RCB won the game by 5 wickets and moved to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points to their name, with 8 wins from 12 games.
Padikkal also dismissed any suggestion that Kohli’s approach had changed because of the two ducks.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really change anything. He has always bounced back and always got runs, and he showed why he is one of the best in the business today,” Padikkal stated.
Padikkal added that modern T20 batting line-ups now view almost every target under 200 as chaseable, especially with the kind of depth RCB possesses.
“I think anything these days under 200 feels like a chaseable target. When you have a batting lineup as we do, it is important that we make sure these chances are done easily,” he stated.
RCB will next face the Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on May 17.
(ANI inputs)