Devdutt Padikkal has undergone a career resurgence since rejoining Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the IPL 2025 season. He initially made a significant impact in 2020, winning the emerging player of the year award by scoring 473 runs in his debut season and achieving his first century the following year.
Having been released by RCB in 2022 before the auction, Padikkal faced a slowdown in his career while briefly playing for Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants. However, RCB repurchased him for Rs. 2 crore in the 2025 auction, where he was anticipated to serve as a backup player. With the guidance of coaches Andy Flower and Dinesh Karthik, Padikkal successfully transformed himself into a No. 3 batsman for Bengaluru.
During the 2025 season, the left-handed batsman scored 247 runs in 10 matches. In IPL 2026, he has further excelled, accumulating 111 runs in two games at an impressive average of 55.5 and a remarkable strike rate of 201.82, including consecutive half-centuries against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.
In a video shared by RCB, Padikkal credited the 2025 auction as a pivotal moment in his career, emphasizing his dedication to a specific style of cricket.
Since rejoining RCB, Padikkal has embraced a more aggressive approach, prioritizing power over finesse, which characterized his earlier performances.
His resurgence has been evident in domestic competitions, with Karthik suggesting that Padikkal is now a strong contender for a spot in the Indian national team.