Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Devdutt Padikkal has revealed the magic of being in the same dressing room with Virat Kohli ahead of the IPL auction 2026, which is scheduled to take place on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Virat Kohli played a key role in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s maiden IPL title win earlier this year and Padikkal opened up about the impact the Indian batting superstar has had on the team. Padikkal told that every youth coming to the RCB dressing room naturally reaches for Kohli’s bat.
Devdutt Padikkal reveals why every RCB youth wants Virat Kohli’s bat
This culture is so deeply rooted that new players don’t even ask for a bat; They just expect it from the most senior player. Virat Kohli also brought energy and fun to the dressing room, often moving around with the speakers, choosing playlists and keeping the spirits up with his dancing and lively presence.
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“Everyone, once they come into the dressing room, especially at RCB, the first thing they do is pick up Virat Kohli’s bat and try to emulate what he does on the field. Everyone wants one of his bats,” Devdutt Padikkal said on the RCB Podcast.
I am sure there will be a lot of people in this dressing room too. Everyone coming into the dressing room sees the most senior player of the team and expects him to deliver the bat. They don’t even ask him for a bat. All they know is, “Okay, he’s got to give me a bat.”
Devdutt Padikkal impressed by Yuvraj Singh’s ‘fearlessness’
Notably, Virat Kohli was the standout performer in RCB’s title-winning season, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71. His consistency and experience were the reasons behind the franchise successfully achieving the long-awaited IPL glory.
Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal also shared how former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh inspired him as a left-handed batsman. He praised Yuvraj’s fearless attitude, his ability to fight after cancer and his brilliant batting style.
Padikkal further added, “It’s just his fearlessness. He has struggled with a lot of things in life, and obviously everything he has done outside the cricket field is amazing. But for me personally, when I saw him bat, as a left-handed batsman, I just loved watching him bat.”
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Devdutt Padikkal credits Yuvraj Singh for improving his left-handed batting.
The Indian batsman said that watching Yuvraj bat helped him refine his game and inspired him to add flair and creativity to his left-handed strokeplay.
He concluded by saying, “You know, I feel a lot of left-handed batsmen, if you ask them who was the best-looking left-handed batsman to watch, it was probably Yuvraj Singh. The elegance with which he batted, and I loved watching him bat. It helped me mold my game into what I wanted to be as a left-handed player,” he said.
Notably, the 2025 IPL season was a turning point for Padikkal. Despite playing only 10 games due to injury, he made a significant impact by scoring 247 runs at a strike rate of 150.60 and played a key role in RCB’s maiden IPL title win in June this year.
