Bengaluru, April 5 (IANS) Left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal said he was relieved to see Tim David take charge of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) innings, as the power-hitter hit an unbeaten 70 off 25 balls to take the side to a commanding 250/3 against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

Padikkal, who struck a fluent half-century off 29 balls, admitted the innings needed acceleration at the right time. “I think at the strategic timeout as well, we had to, we knew that we had to keep going and it was an important phase from there on and I’m probably glad that I got out because the way Tim went from there, it was incredible,” he said to broadcasters in mid-innings break.

He also explained that the pitch demanded caution early on before it became better to bat on. “I think it was a bit tacky early on, especially with the new ball wasn’t coming on that well and we have to make sure that we don’t lose too many wickets. We understand that in the Chinnaswamy, if we have wickets in hand in the last five, six overs, we can really maximize and that’s what we did,” said Padikkal.

He further said setting targets at the venue was difficult. “Not really, to be honest. It’s very hard to set a target here in Chinnaswamy. It’s important that the moment you have that momentum behind you, you have to just keep going.”

Reflecting on his own approach, Padikkal stressed the importance of self-belief. “Definitely, it’s the belief, I feel. It’s important that I believed in myself that I can really go out there and play at a very high tempo. Over the years, I’ve not been able to do that and coming into the last year as well. I wanted to make sure that I really believe in myself and make sure that I go out there and enjoy myself,” he said.

On defending champions RCB making 250/3, the highest score in IPL 2026 so far, Padikkal was optimistic but cautious. “I think it’s a really good score. But again, anything can happen in cricket. We have to do our things right and hopefully we’ll get the win,” he concluded.

–IANS

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