Devdutt Padikkal has said that his bond with Royal Challengers Bengaluru has always been emotional, calling his retention ahead of IPL 2026 a moment he truly appreciates after years of feeling connected to the franchise.
Speaking on the RCB Podcast, Padikkal said he has had a “soft spot” for RCB since childhood and admitted that it always felt strange playing against them after moving to other teams in the IPL.
“It was weird. My friends and family supported me. Coming out to play for other teams against RCB was always a bit weird,” Padikkal said, explaining how his heart often stayed with the Bengal team.
Padikkal played for RCB in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, before the Covid-19 bubble years prevented the team from playing home games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. That remains the biggest regret of his first stint.
“I always wanted to play for Chinnaswamy in the IPL,” he said. “When I was at RCB before, unfortunately we couldn’t have matches here, so it was quite heartbreaking.”
He added that returning to the stadium in RCB colors will finally make the experience complete, something he never felt when he came back to Bengaluru with other franchises.
Padikkal is one of the 17 players RCB have retained ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, a move that underlines the franchise’s confidence in him as part of their core Indian group.
During his time with RCB, Padikkal had a strong run, especially in his third season with the team. He scored 247 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 150.60 as RCB ended their long wait for the title in a campaign powered by Virat Kohli’s batting and Josh Hazlewood’s bowling.
His return also comes at a time when Padikkal is in good domestic form. In the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he finished as Karnataka’s second highest run-scorer.
He made 309 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 167.02, hitting 36 fours and 12 sixes, showing a marked shift towards more aggressive T20 batting.
That form, combined with his familiarity with the conditions in Bengaluru, makes him a valuable option for RCB as they plan for a full domestic season at Chinnaswamy in IPL 2026.
For Padikkal, however, motivation goes beyond numbers. After years of watching RCB with fondness, he now gets the chance to play for the team he always wanted to represent, in front of the crowd he dreamed of batting for.
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