Follow UsAfter enduring a really tough season with Lucknow Super Giants in 2024, in which he could only manage 38 runs in seven matches, Devdutt Padikkal has made a stunning turnaround with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2025, averaging 30 at a strike rate of 150. His innings against Punjab Kings on Sunday made it really easy for RCB to find a framework.
A stunning List A batter, Padikkal hadn’t been as proficient in the shortest format of the game, but he believes he is reaching a new point in his career where he can be a dominating T20 batter.
"Nothing really special to be honest, I have been batting pretty well this season. I have enjoyed my batting, that's the most important part. Over the last year or so I have really worked hard on getting to where I am in T20 cricket. Obviously, the previous couple of years wasn't ideal, it wasn't great,” Padikkal said in the post-match press conference.
“I wasn't up to the mark and I was the first one to take responsibility for that and once you take that responsibility and understand that you weren't good enough, I think that's where you can then start getting better and that's all that it took to be honest, I had to just go back to the drawing board and really work on myself.”
RCB secured their fifth away win of the season, but ironically, they have lost all three of their home games so far. While they are on course to make it to the playoffs, Padikkal asserted that they need to win at home.
"To be honest, I think it's just a coincidence that our wins have come away from home, but at the same time, we have played some really good cricket throughout the tournament. I feel we have really gelled well as a unit and that shows, each time we suffer a loss, we are immediately back up and we are winning games after that. So, it's important that now we continue this momentum and really find a way to win at home as well because, of course, that's really an important part and the Chinnaswamy deserves to see some wins.
"I don't think there is anything to do with the pitch, to be honest. It's important that as a batting unit, we read the pitch quick enough. I feel that's something that we have not really done as well as possible to be honest, we have not been up to the mark but that's part of the tournament that IPL is, it always has challenges and this is a challenge that for us as a team, it's important that we find a way."