May 7, 2026, 6:47 am
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to face Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow today, with Phil Salt still recovering from injury. Former India captain Kris Srikkanth believes that Devdutt Padikkal should open alongside Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell, who has been opening in Salt’s absence, should instead bat in the middle order.Bethell’s role this season has become a major talking point in the cricketing world. After being benched for the first six matches despite arriving on the back of an impressive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, Bethell finally got his opportunity following Salt’s injury. However, in three matches so far, he has managed only 39 runs at a strike rate of 150.Srikkanth feels RCB are missing an explosive presence at the top of the order.
He also suggested that Devdutt Padikkal should open alongside Virat Kohli, with Bethell moving to the middle order.
Devdutt Padikkal has completely transformed his T20 game this year, moving away from his previous reputation as a slow starter to become one of the league’s most aggressive top-order batters. He has been a consistent force at No. 3 for RCB, providing explosive starts that have defined their batting strategy this season. In 9 matches RCB played so far he featured in every match and has scored 282 runs with a strike rate of 188. His IPL success follows a prolific 2025–26 domestic season for Karnataka, where he was the leading run-scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (725 runs at 90.62) and captained his state side to the Ranji Trophy final.Srikkanth further stated that RCB’s balanced squad should help them secure a playoff spot in IPL 2026.
The former opener also highlighted Kohli’s importance ahead of the crucial clash in Lucknow.
