Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Devdutt Padikkal has credited former RCB staff members Dinesh Karthik and Andy Flower for helping him successfully transition his game to meet the demands of T20 cricket. Padikkal, who has been in sensational form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, acknowledged that his classical batting style, rooted in a desire to play Test cricket, required significant adjustments for the fast-paced IPL format.
Padikkal highlighted that the mentorship received at RCB was crucial in maximizing his potential in the shortest format, particularly in understanding how to approach the middle overs (7-14) after being accustomed to playing primarily in the powerplay. This tactical evolution has allowed the left-hander to find a natural tempo in 50-over cricket, enabling him to anchor innings while maintaining the ability to apply pressure on bowlers, a skill set honed during his time with the Bengaluru franchise.
This analysis was generated by using official IPL statistics and live match data.
“To be honest, all the credit for that goes to DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower) at RCB. To be honest, the way they helped me through that phase and helped me understand how I can maximise my game in the T20 format helped me a lot in terms of understanding what I needed to do.”
Highest career run scorers (batting specialists only: batters, all-rounders, wicketkeepers) for Royal Challengers Bangalore players
| Rank | Player | Team | most-runs-career |
|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 8661 runs | |
| #2 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 1806 runs | |
#3 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 1756 runs | |
| #4 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 1468 runs | |
| #5 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 1111 runs |
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He is currently the leading run-scorer in the tournament, having scored 147 off 118, and 123 off 137 deliveries in them as an opening batsman.
But I've always had that soft spot for RCB and always looked at their games as games I love to watch and see them do well as well.
The only good thing is that Patidar recovered from an ankle injury and returned to action. However, Patidar’s delayed entry into the Vijay Hazare Trophy was not due to any fresh injury.
“To be honest, all the credit for that goes to DK (Dinesh Karthik) and Andy (Flower) at RCB. To be honest, the way they helped me through that phase and helped me understand how I can maximise my game in the T20 format helped me a lot in terms of understanding what I needed to do.”
