‘Virat bhai’s only instruction is…’: Padikkal reveals Kohli’s mantra during RCB chase

Devdutt Padikkal was all smiles as Royal Challengers Bangalore kicked off the Indian Premier League 2026 with a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.The left-hander played a decisive role in the chase, blasting 61 off just 26 balls with 4 sixes and 7 boundaries in an innings at a strike rate of 234.62. beside him, Virat Kohli An unbeaten 69 off 38 deliveries. The duo added a quick 101-run score off just 45 balls to help the defending champions surpass the target of 202 runs with 26 balls remaining.

Speaking on Star Sports’ ‘Amul Cricket Live’, Padikkar elaborated on his approach during the chase and revealed what he did from Kohli on the other end.“It feels good to start the new season with a win, especially in Bengaluru. The Chinnaswamy Stadium holds a special place in our hearts and we want to give something back to the fans who helped us win the trophy last year. When I came in to bat, Virat bhai’s only instructions were to maintain the run rate and put pressure on the bowlers. My job was to take risks while he presided over the chase,” he said.Padikkar explained that Kohli’s presence at the crease allows him to play with freedom and take calculated risks. Despite Phil Salt’s early dismissal, the duo ensured that the momentum never waned, denying Hyderabad any chance of a comeback.“His presence took the pressure off me and allowed me to play freely. We knew SRH’s bowling was not very strong, so we believed we could chase down the target smoothly. We lost Phil Salt early on, but it was important to keep the pressure up so that SRH had no chance of getting back into the game.” We did a great job and secured the win,” Padikkar said.The youngster also credits head coach Andy Flower and mentor Dinesh Karthik for shaping his T20 evolution technically and mentally and helping him adopt a more attacking approach.“The credit for the improvement and improvement in my game goes to our head coach Andy Flower and our batting coach Dinesh Karthik Bai. They worked really hard on me. It wasn’t easy because I had to change a lot. This is not just a technical issue; It’s also important mentally. I need to really believe that I can play this kind of aggressive cricket,” Padikkal said.“T20 cricket has changed a lot in the last five-six years. When I first came into the IPL in 2020, the cricket we played was very different to the cricket we play now. So, it was important that I believed I could do it. I feel Andy and DK helped me achieve that,” he added.Earlier in the evening, Sunrisers Hyderabad recovered well after a shaky start to the 201/9 season. The early blow saw Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Reddy fall in the power play, but a strong comeback followed.Ishan Kishan led the way with a staggering 80 off 38 balls, including 8 fours and 5 sixes, while Aniket Verma scored a quick 43 off just 18 balls.For Bengaluru, Jacob Duffy (3/22) and Romario Shepherd (3/54) took three wickets each. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma took one wicket each.In reply, Kohli’s unbeaten knock sealed the chase, while Padikkal’s explosive cameo decisively turned the game around. Skipper Rajat Patidar smashed a quick 31 off just 12 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours to help RCB seal a four-wicket victory.The win also saw Bengaluru record the fastest successful chase of 200-plus targets in IPL history, reaching 202 in just 15.4 overs.