'You need a swashbuckler at the top': Kris Srikkanth urges RCB to open with Devdutt Padikkal

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.

• “Salt brought the demolishing factor. Other teams, with players like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head or Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, bring that demolition factor, which RCB lacks. Salt was the one who brought that attacking structure for them. You need a swashbuckler at the top, and that is missing,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, ‘Cheeky Cheeka’.

He also suggested that Devdutt Padikkal should open alongside Virat Kohli, with Bethell moving to the middle order.

• “Maybe Padikkal should open for them against LSG, and Bethell can come into the middle order. RCB’s middle order has also caved in against quality bowling. After Padikkal, positions four to seven have collapsed quite a number of times,” he added.

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.

• “They have the best balance in both bowling and batting among all teams. That means they can perform well on any kind of wicket. RCB will definitely qualify for the playoffs, but whether they finish in the top two remains a question,” he said.

The former opener also highlighted Kohli’s importance ahead of the crucial clash in Lucknow.

• “Virat Kohli is the key for RCB in this match. He is used to playing on wickets like the one in Lucknow. He has to play a long innings, at least until the 15th over. This is a crucial match for LSG, whose bowling is good, but batting remains a concern,” Srikkanth stated.