'We could go hard at every ball': Padikkal reveals RCB’s new batting mantra

Bengaluru: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have stormed to the top of the IPL 2026 table with back-to-back victories, and opener Devdutt Padikkal has lifted the lid on the recalibrated batting philosophy driving the surge. After a commanding 43-run win over Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Padikkal explained how a deliberate policy of wicket preservation in the first ten overs has set the stage for late-innings carnage.

“Even last season we had a couple of games early on where we struggled and ended up losing maybe three or four wickets and then it put us on the back foot,” Padikkal recalled. “We had a conversation midway through last year that we needed to make sure that when the wicket is behaving in such a way, you have to ensure you have wickets in hand. Once the ball gets older, it becomes much easier to bat on.”

The left-hander, who has followed a 61 in the tournament opener with an unbeaten 50 against CSK, said the adjustment was non-negotiable. “We had to make sure we are not three or four down by the 10-over mark. Once we were able to do that, we could go hard at every ball. The way the entire unit has been batting since then has been incredible.”

Padikkal credited his own white-ball resurgence to a conscious overhaul of technique and mindset. “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 admitted, praising the RCB support staff for steering the recalibration.

While T20 batting continues to tilt toward relentless power-hitting, Padikkal views the trend as an evolutionary phase. “Batting has gone to another level. Everyone is working hard to hit big sixes and fours. It’s now on the bowlers to raise their game as well,” he observed, suggesting that conditions will eventually restore equilibrium between bat and ball.

He reserved special mention for Tim David, whose 25-ball 70 dismantled the CSK attack. “We see him do this every day in practice. He’s very clear about which bowler to target and when. That clarity makes a huge difference,” Padikkal noted.

With two commanding totals already on the board, RCB’s wicket-first, assault-later mantra has quickly become the early-season template to beat.