Devdutt Padikkal’s impressive start to IPL 2026 has quietly brought him back into the India selection conversation, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter showing signs of a more confident and evolved player after starting the season with two explosive half centuries.
What stands out this season is the shift in his scoring rate. In 2025, Padikkal played a crucial role at the top of the order for RCB, scoring 247 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150.61. In 2026, he has already piled up 111 runs in just two games (61 off 26 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad and 50 off 29 deliveries against Chennai Super Kings) at a strike rate of 201.82, reflecting a clear change in intent without losing his natural composure.
This turnaround has its roots in a strong domestic season, during which he piled up 710 runs in 10 innings in the Ranji Trophy at an average of over 60, rebuilding both form and belief.
Heading into RCB’s high-voltage clash against table-toppers Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on Friday, Padikkal looks far more settled, not just in terms of runs, but also mentally. After a phase where opportunities were limited, he went back to basics and worked on reshaping his game.
“It’s a lot of hard work and self-belief. It wasn’t easy to make that change because I had to alter the foundation of the kind of cricket I wanted to play growing up,” he said at the pre-match presser.
The confidence from his domestic performances has clearly helped. “The domestic season, I got a lot of runs, and I was really consistent with it. And whenever you have that performance behind you, I think it gives you that more influences.”
Padikkal also feels that the effort he has been putting in over the last couple of years is finally paying off. “Yeah, definitely. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been actively working on trying to improve. I’m glad that those processes behind the scenes is already coming to play now.”
Despite the improved strike rate and aggressive approach, he insists his focus remains on the bigger picture. “Its important that you play the situation as well. It’s not all about the strike rates, what’s important is that you continue to help your team win games and as long as I’m able to contribute to that, I’m very happy.”
With performances like these, talk of a return to the Indian team has naturally picked up again. Having already represented India in two Tests and two T20Is, Padikkal understands the expectations but is choosing to stay grounded.
“Obviously, everyone dreams of playing for India and I’ve been through the same. At the end of the day, it’s that I don’t really think too far ahead and just enjoy playing the cricket that I’m playing right now and take one game at a time and see where it takes,” he said.