Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor Dinesh Karthik has expressed strong support for Devdutt Padikkal, highlighting the left-handed batter’s impressive form as he presses for a place in the Indian T20I team. Karthik praised Padikkal’s composure under pressure and consistent performances, suggesting the selectors will find it difficult to overlook him in a squad already rich with talent.
Padikkal has started the IPL 2026 season with back-to-back fifties for RCB. Against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, he recovered from a slow start to score a 29-ball fifty, helping RCB post a record total of 250 in 20 overs, their highest against the five-time champions. In the opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he played a more aggressive innings, scoring 61 off 21 balls, including four sixes.
“He doesn’t, in our eyes, slip under the radar,” Karthik told JioHotstar following RCB’s 43-run win over CSK on Sunday.
“First and foremost is his determination. He is very, very determined in what he sets out to do. On a pitch like this, when a batter doesn’t get going-especially after playing an innings like he did in the first game-it is very easy to go for a big shot and throw it away. You feel like you are batting well and just need to connect one, but that often leads to something unnecessary. The courage he showed when the going was tough at the start is what is truly admirable. Once he found his first boundary, he flipped the switch.”
“He is batting in such a manner that I am not sure you can keep him out of the Indian team for too long. He is playing proper cricketing shots and striking the ball cleanly over distance. He is a proper Test player and has accumulated more than 2,000 runs this season,” he added.
When asked where Padikkal might fit into the senior national side – given the depth of a squad that won the T20 World Cup last month-Karthik described it as a “good headache” for the selectors. He added that the Karnataka batter would certainly be part of the conversation when squads are picked following IPL 2026.
Karthik also emphasised that Padikkal’s contributions extend beyond his batting. The 25-year-old, who captained Karnataka in the previous domestic season, is emerging as a strong voice within the leadership group.
“That’s the challenge—where to fit him in. But he has to be part of the conversation. He is as good as anyone out there. This is a big stage, and he is stepping up to do whatever the team requires. He is the leader of the Karnataka side, and that is evident in the dressing room as well. He is open, shares his views, and as a support staff, we have enjoyed having him as a leader within the group,” Karthik said.
A ROLLER-COASTER OF A RIDE
At 25, Padikkal has already experienced significant highs and lows in his career. Even his promising run with RCB in IPL 2025-247 runs in 10 matches-was cut short by injury.
The elegant left-hander’s meteoric rise was nearly derailed by a debilitating chronic intestinal condition and a persistent stomach infection that severely affected his health between 2021 and 2023. At the peak of his illness – further complicated by a bout of Covid-19– Padikkal lost nearly 10 kilograms and suffered such extreme fatigue that he often struggled to take the field after batting. This period of physical vulnerability led to a sharp dip in both his IPL and domestic performances, raising doubts about whether his early promise would be fulfilled. However, through a meticulous recovery process involving a strict dietary overhaul and a tailored fitness regime, he staged a remarkable comeback by late 2023 and made his Test debut in 2024.
Over the past two years, Padikkal has been prolific in domestic 50-over cricket. In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he amassed 725 runs in 10 matches at an average of 90. This followed an impressive showing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 309 runs in six matches at an average of over 60 and a strike rate approaching 180.
His red-ball form-543 runs in six Ranji Trophy matches at an average of 61-is likely to bring him back into the Test reckoning. However, a strong IPL season remains crucial if he is to push his case for selection in India’s T20I squad.
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