Devdutt Padikkal is a highly skilled left-handed top-order batter. He made an immediate impact in his debut 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), scoring 473 runs and winning the Emerging Player Award. After spending a few seasons with the Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, RCB bought him back at his base price of ₹2 Crore during the 2025 mega auction. Upon returning to RCB in 2025, Padikkal played a crucial role at the top of the order. He amassed 247 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150.61. Although a hamstring injury ruled him out midway through the tournament, his aggressive starts laid the foundation for RCB's historic maiden IPL title victory. Acknowledging his high impact, the franchise officially retained him for the 2026 season. He enters the new campaign in exceptional form for Karnataka in the 2025/26 domestic season.