Who Will Succeed Rajat Patidar As RCB Captain? Massive Hint Dropped By Franchise

Devdutt Padikkal enjoyed a stellar IPL 2026 season as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted a second successive title. Batting at No. 3, Padikkal smashed 464 runs in 15 innings at a strike-rate of 168.72, powering RCB in the powerplay and middle overs. After a few difficult seasons, Padikkal has been at home again in Bengaluru, the city in which he has played most of his cricket. Reflecting on his campaign, RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat heaped praise on Padikkal, even touting him as a potential future captain.

Mo Bobat praised Padikkal for continuing the intent at the top of the order, following on from the momentum set by openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.

“We wanted him to really push the boundaries of his intent, and to really deliver an impact. We had Salty (Salt) and Virat going pretty hard at the top, and we wanted Dev (Padikkal) to continue that momentum when he came to the crease. And to his credit, he’s totally bought into that and embraced that. And he’s batted very selflessly, and I think that’s huge credit to Dev,” Bobat said, speaking on the ‘RCB’s Trophy Quest’ documentary on the team’s official YouTube channel.

Bobat then went on to explain why Padikkal could be a leadership option in the future for the franchise.

“I’ve also been really impressed with him as a character. I think he’s very leaderful, actually. I think he’s a potential captain of the future,” Bobat further added.

While Rajat Patidar has led RCB admirable to its first two IPL titles in history, he is eight years older to Padikkal.

Still only 25, Padikkal is yet to hit the peak of his cricket career. Having already spent five IPL seasons with RCB, he could be a natural fit for captaincy in the years to come.

“He’s been an extraordinary performer. First, he’s the only one in this team having the pleasure of being a local. He represents Bengaluru. And he’s a thorough Bengaluru man. He embodies it. He’s able to assess and understand game situations exceedingly well for a man of his age,” said RCB mentor and batting coach Karthik on Padikkal.

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