Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Suresh Raina prefers Devdutt Padikkal for the No. 3 spot in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batting order. Ahead of the IPL 2026 season starting on March 28, Raina structured RCB’s batting order as per his understanding.
For the number three batting slot, the IPL 2025 winners have multiple options in their set-up. Along with Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer and Jacob Bethel are also capable of batting in a special role.
Devdutt Padikkal piles up runs ahead of IPL 2026 season
Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, Devdutt Padikkal has scored a ton of runs all domestic season for Karnataka. The top-order batsman scored 543 runs at an average of 54.30 in 11 matches in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season. In the semi-finals of the tournament, he made headlines by playing a record-breaking inning of 232 runs.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the veteran batsman scored 725 runs in 9 matches with an amazing batting average of 90.63. And in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, he had a batting average of 61.80 and strike rate of 167.03 after playing 6 innings.
Suresh Raina picks Devdutt Padikkal for No. 3 batting position
Last season, Padikkal was the first choice No. 3 batsman for the defending champions, before he was dropped for the remainder of the season. Raina believes that RCB will rely on the in-form batsman for the 2026 campaign.
“I think RCB will play Padikkal at No. 3. Virat Kohli and Phil Salt will open, then there is Jitesh Sharma at No. 4. If captain Rajat Patidar says I can play at No. 5, then it can happen. They can also go for a left-hander-right-hander combination, they already have a left-hander at No. 3,” Suresh Raina said on Star Sports.
If Padikkal plays at number three for RCB, what will be the role of Venkatesh Iyer?
What will be the role of Venkatesh Iyer if RCB plays Padikkal at number 3? Venkatesh Iyer was bought by the defending champions for ₹7 crore during the IPL 2026 auction. There must be some plan with Iyer considering the franchise has invested so much money in him. Ren said that Iyer could be a good option for him as an impact player to maintain the left-handed-right-handed batting combination.
“I think the Bengaluru pitches will suit Venkatesh Iyer more, he is a quality player. He likes to play higher up the order, he can score in all areas of the ground. I think they can play him for a left-right-arm combination, especially since they have a finisher like Jitesh Sharma down the order,” Suresh Raina said.
In contrast to Devdutt Padikkal’s exceptional performances, Venkatesh Iyer has found no joy in the recent domestic fixtures. In the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 season, the batsman scored 367 runs at an average of 36.70. His batting average in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 was 25.14. Syed Mushtaq Ali’s batting average during the T20 2025 tournament was 26.38.
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