Devdutt Padikal was all smiles after Royal Challengers Bengaluru opened their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign with an emphatic win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.The left-hander played a decisive hand in the chase, scoring 61 off just 26 balls, an innings studded with four sixes and seven fours at a strike rate of 234.62. to him, Virat Kohli He remained not out after scoring 69 runs off 38 balls. The duo put on a blistering 101-run stand in just 45 balls, helping the defending champions chase down the 202-run target with 26 balls to spare.
Speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Amul Cricket Live’, Padikal shed light on his approach during the chase and revealed the guidance he received. Kohli On the other end“It’s nice to start the new season with a win, especially in Bengaluru. The Chinnaswamy Stadium holds a special place in our hearts, and we wanted to give back to our fans who helped us win the trophy last year. When I came out to bat, Virat Bhai’s only instructions were to keep the run-rate up and he put pressure on the bowlers to take risks.”Pedicel explained that Kohli’s presence at the crease allowed him to play with freedom and take calculated risks. Despite Phil Salt’s early exit, the pair ensured that the momentum never dropped, denying any chance of a Hyderabad comeback.“His presence took the pressure off me and allowed me to play freely. We knew that SRH’s bowling was not very strong, so we were confident that we could chase down the target smoothly. We lost full salt early, but it was important to keep the pressure on, so SRH would not have a chance to come back into the game. We did it well and got the win,” Padikal said.The youngster also credited head coach Andy Flower and mentor Dinesh Karthik for helping him shape his T20 evolution technically and mentally and adopt a more attacking style.“The evolution and improvement of my game goes to our head coach Andy Flower and our batting coach Dinesh Karthik Bhai. They really worked hard on me. It wasn’t easy because I had to change a lot. It wasn’t just technical; It was also very mental. I really needed to believe that I could play this aggressive brand of cricket,” Padikal said.“In the last five or six years, T20 cricket has evolved a lot. When I first came to the IPL in 2020, the cricket we played was very different from what is being played now. So, it was important that I believed in myself that I could do it. I think Andy and DK helped me get there,” he added.Earlier in the evening, Sunrisers Hyderabad recovered well after a shaky start to 201/9. Early bursts saw Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Reddy fall in the powerplay, but a strong counter-attack followed.Ishan Kishan played a brilliant innings of 80 off 38 balls that included eight fours and five sixes, while Aniket Verma scored a blistering 43 off just 18 balls.Jacob Duffy (3/22) and Romario Shepherd (3/54) took three wickets each for Bengaluru. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma took one wicket each.In reply, Kohli’s unbeaten innings gave chase, while Pedicel’s explosive cameo decisively turned the game around. Skipper Rajat Patidar added three sixes and two fours to a blistering 31 off just 12 balls as RCB cruised to a four-wicket win.With the win, Bengaluru registered the fastest successful chase of a 200-plus target in IPL history, reaching 202 in just 15.4 overs.
