Like every season, the ongoing Tata Indian Premier League 2026 (TATA IPL 2026) is also bringing big moments. But a shocking revelation by former South African legend Dale Steyn has made Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman Devdutt Padikkal a topic of discussion.
The most interesting thing is how much things have changed for Devdutt Padikkal now. The same Karnataka batsman once had to struggle in practice, but now he is playing fearless cricket in big matches and winning matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Devdutt Padikkal steals the show with aggressive innings in RCB vs GT IPL 2026 match
During RCB’s five-wicket win against Gujarat Titans on April 24, Padikkal showed a completely different side of his game. Chasing a mammoth target of 206, the right-handed batsman played an aggressive inning of 55 runs in just 27 balls. His 115-run partnership with Virat Kohli (81) made the chase easy.
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After the RCB vs GT game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Steyn shared some interesting things about his former teammate. The Proteas star revealed that during his time with RCB he used to deliberately bowl a lot of short balls to Padikkal in the nets.
His aim was to show his pace and push for a place in the playing eleven and Padikkal had to face those tough balls. At the time, the young batsman was struggling with short-pitched bowling, and had to go through some tough moments facing one of the fastest bowlers in the world.
Dale Steyn makes a shocking revelation after Devdutt Padikkal’s complete transformation
Now the story has completely changed. Padikkal has worked on his game and improved a lot, especially against short balls. RCB batsmen are now aggressive and are handling short balls better and playing with more confidence and freedom.
ESPNcricinfo quoted Dale Steyn as saying, “When I played for RCB in my last season, I was trying to get into the team. I felt the only way to get into the team was to show real pace in the nets. Poor Dev was taking it for me. I was bowling him up. I was trying to hurt him to show (Mike) Hesson that I could get into that team.”
Steyn said, “I went into that season thinking he was a guy who showed a lot of skill, but would struggle with the short ball. Now, I look at him and say, ‘Now he’s got it.’ He has figured it out. “Fear has gone out the window.”
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Ian Bishop impressed with Devdutt Padikkal’s new aggressive avatar
Even former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop has noticed this change. The broadcaster feels that Devdutt Padikkal is no longer just a stylish player but someone who can attack and dominate the bowlers.
Bishon said during the same discussion, “We have watched this kid over the years, and he seems to have this relationship with Virat. I think when he scored his century in the IPL, Virat was on the crease with him, and Virat was on him, rightfully so.”
I thought the touch player was cool. But what he has done this season – the aggression, the ability to get good balls out – I find it amazing. It’s like, ‘Don’t let anyone come and tell me that you can’t improve at some level as a cricketer in the future.’
