The batting script at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has flipped, and it is no longer possible to go big from the very first ball, said Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Devdutt Padikkal on Sunday, April 5. RCB hammered Chennai Super Kings in the evening game, piling up a massive 250 before bowling CSK out for 207.
RCB’s total was the highest of the season so far. However, the team did not get off to the best start after being sent in to bat by CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. The hosts were put under pressure in the first six overs, with openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt struggling for rhythm throughout the powerplay.
In fact, Kohli survived twice – first a run-out chance and then a dropped catch – before eventually falling for 28 off 18 balls. Salt, on the other hand, staged a late surge, scoring 46 off 30 before being dismissed by Shivam Dube in the 11th over.
RCB managed just 51 runs in the powerplay, but crucially, they preserved their wickets while navigating through a tricky phase.
“I think we found that in Chinnaswamy, especially in the initial overs, the pitch has always been a little bit tacky. Even last season, we had a couple of games early on where we struggled with that, and we ended up losing maybe three or four wickets early, which put us on the back foot,” Padikkal said, reflecting on past experiences.
RCB had endured a difficult run at home in 2025, losing their first three matches. According to Padikkal, the team learned from those setbacks and consciously avoided going overly aggressive in the first 10 overs.
“We had a conversation midway through last year that when the wicket is behaving in such a way, you have to make sure that you keep wickets in hand. And the moment the ball gets a little older, it becomes much easier to bat on,” he added.
“That was the main conversation, to be honest. We had to make sure that we were not three or four down by the 10-over mark. And once we were able to do that, I think we could just go from there,” Padikkal concluded.
