‘Coming back to RCB paved my path’ - Devdutt Padikkal opens up on career-defining IPL 2025 return

The dashing left-handed opener Devdutt Padikkal has revealed that his return to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 season was a significant turning point in his career, helping him rediscover clarity in his approach to the game. 

Padikkal played a vital role at the top of the order for RCB in IPL 2025, scoring 247 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150.61. His contribution was instrumental in his side’s first-ever IPL championship.  

Reflecting on his journey, Padikkal admitted that the 2025 mega auction proved to be a defining phase in shaping his mindset and commitment.

“I feel that auction was probably the turning point of my career in a lot of ways. I was at that stage of my career where I needed to really commit to the type of cricket I want to play, the kind of cricketer I wanted to be. And coming back to RCB paved my path towards the brand of cricket I wanted to play,” Padikkal said in a video shared by RCB.

The left-hander further explained how that opportunity pushed him to focus on self-improvement irrespective of results, and how he changed his approach towards the game.

“When I got that opportunity with RCB, I feel that’s the day I decided that there are a lot of things that I need to do and I needed to really commit to working on those things regardless of what the outcome may be, what the result may be,” he added.

Padikkal had made an immediate impact in his debut IPL season in 2020, scoring 473 runs and winning the Emerging Player award with RCB. However, subsequent stints with Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants did not quite go as planned.

Opening up about his challenging phase, Padikkal acknowledged the pressure of expectations and the emotional toll of underperformance.

“I moved to LSG for that one year, and obviously, that didn’t go great either. It was really hard. I felt that everything comes down to money. When a franchise is putting their faith in you in terms of that much money they are paying you, you feel like you are letting them down when you don’t perform. At that point, honestly, I didn’t have any answers either,” he concluded.

The Karnataka batter has started his 2026 season with a bang, scoring 111 runs in just two innings with a stunning strike rate of 201.82 for his side. Meanwhile, the defending champions are on a roll with two wins in two matches so far.