He is the second leading run-getter in VHT 2025-26.
Devdutt Padikkal comeback in white-ball cricket this season has been a big story in India’s domestic circuit. The Karnataka player attributed his recent success to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik and head coach Andy Flower. He credited them for helping him evolve as a more complete batter, which brought his T20 career back to life.
Padikkal told The Indian Express, it was tough when he had to change things to keep himself relevant with how T20 cricket is being played currently.
“As I have grown up wanting to play Test cricket, my game was moulded in a certain way. When I had to make adjustments to keep myself up with the current way T20 cricket is played. All the credit for that goes to DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower) at RCB. They helped me understand how I can maximise my game and understand what I needed to do. Before, I was so used to batting in the powerplay that I didn’t think much about the 7-to-14 over period.”
Padikkal’s way of thinking has visibly changed over the last 12 months. From 2020 to 2024, against spinners in middle-overs, Padikkal scored 352 runs at a strike rate of just 123.1 and played nearly 30% dot deliveries.
But his return to RCB for IPL 2025 changed things. His strike rate against spin in middle-overs has gone significantly up, scoring 94 runs at a strike rate of 144.6, while dot ball percentage has been reduced to 23.1, hinting at improvement in the 7-16 overs phase.
In IPL 2025, batting at No. 3, Padikkal amassed 247 runs in 10 innings with his best strike rate of 150.61. This was a big step up from his overall IPL average of 126.29.
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Initially, the left-hander used to open the innings for RCB for the first two seasons and produced exceptional outings, amassing 473 (@124.80 SR) and 411 (@125.30 SR) runs. But he found it hard to keep attacking once field restrictions were lifted and the field spread out in the middle overs. His low scores with Rajasthan Royals, mostly at No. 3 and 4 (261 runs at a strike rate of 124.01) and Lucknow Super Giants (38 runs at a strike rate of 108.57) highlighted this problem of inconsistency and inability to hit boundaries at regular intervals.
However, post IPL 2025, Padikkal has become a different beast altogether, not just in white-ball cricket, but in first-class cricket as well.
After IPL 2025, the 25-year-old featured in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 2025 and finished as the top scorer, getting 449 runs at an average of 40.82, hitting 51 fours and 17 sixes, with a strike rate of 154.83. In six games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, the left-handed batter scored 309 runs in only six innings. He averaged 61.80 with a strike rate of 167.02, scoring one century and two half-centuries.
Now, in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26, Padikkal has carried that momentum for Karnataka. He’s scored 585 runs in six innings with scores of 147, 124, 22, 113, 108, and 91. His List A record now stands at 2585 runs in 37 games, with 13 hundreds and 13 fifties. He averages an impressive 83.62 with a strike rate of 93.37.
With IPL 2026 coming soon and Karnataka doing well in domestic cricket, Padikkal’s growth could start a new chapter. Maybe another good season will push his case for the India white-ball squad inclusion. However, there’s a huge competition with several southpaw batters waiting for their turn.
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