RCB recently bagged their second successive IPL title under the leadership of Patidar.
Batting at No. 3, the southpaw amassed 464 runs in 15 innings at an impressive strike rate of 168.72, leading the charge for RCB in the powerplay and middle overs.
Reflecting on his campaign, RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat showered rich praise on Padikkal and also endorsed him as a potential future captain for the franchise.
Bobat commended Padikkal for maintaining aggressive momentum in the top order after strong starts by openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.
"We wanted him to really push the boundaries of his intent, and to really deliver an impact. We had Salty (Salt) and Virat going pretty hard at the top, and we wanted Dev (Padikkal) to continue that momentum when he came to the crease. And to his credit, he's totally bought into that and embraced that. And he's batted very selflessly, and I think that's huge credit to Dev," Bobat said, speaking on the 'RCB's Trophy Quest' documentary on the team's official YouTube channel.
Beyond his batting, Bobat explicitly singled out the 25-year-old for leadership role due to his strong character.
"I've also been really impressed with him as a character. I think he's very leaderful, actually. I think he's a potential captain of the future," Bobat added.
Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, RCB recently bagged their second successive IPL title. However, because Patidar is eight years older than Padikkal, the team management is actively mapping out their long-term leadership succession plan.
Furthermore, RCB mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik strongly backed Bobat's assessment. Karthik highlighted that as a local Bengaluru player, Padikkal possesses an exceptional ability to read game situations, making him a natural fit to lead the franchise in the years ahead.
"He's been an extraordinary performer. First, he's the only one in this team having the pleasure of being a local. He represents Bengaluru. And he's a thorough Bengaluru man. He embodies it. He's able to assess and understand game situations exceedingly well for a man of his age," Karthik remarked.