Devdutt Padikkal opens up on Virat Kohli’s influence and Yuvraj Singh’s fearlessness

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Devdutt Padikkal has revealed the magic of being in the same dressing room as Virat Kohli ahead of the IPL Auction 2026, which is scheduled to be held on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Virat Kohli was instrumental in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title victory earlier this year, and Padikkal opened up about the Indian batting superstar’s influence on the team. Padikkal explained that every youngster walking into the RCB dressing room naturally reaches for Kohli’s bat.

Devdutt Padikkal reveals why every RCB youngster wants Virat Kohli’s bat

The culture is so deep-rooted that new players don’t even ask for a bat; they just expect it from the senior-most player. Virat Kohli also brought energy and fun to the dressing room, often moving around with the speaker, choosing the playlist, and keeping spirits high with his dancing and lively presence.

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Devdutt Padikkal said on the RCB podcast, "Everyone, once they come into the dressing room, especially in RCB, the first thing they do is go pick up Virat Kohli's bat and try and emulate what he does on the field. Everyone wants one of his bats.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of guys in this dressing room as well. Everyone that comes into the dressing room looks at the senior-most player on the side and expects them to give a bat. They don't even ask them for a bat. They just know, “Okay, he’s supposed to give me a bat.”

Devdutt Padikkal impressed by Yuvraj Singh’s 'fearlessness'

Notably, Virat Kohli was the standout performer in RCB’s title-winning season, scoring 657 runs in 15 games at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71. His consistency and experience were behind the franchise’s successful chase of their long-awaited IPL glory.

Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal also shared how former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh inspired him as a left-handed batter. He admired Yuvraj’s fearless attitude, his ability to fight back after cancer, and his elegant batting style.

Padikkal further noted, “It's just his fearlessness. He's fought through a lot of things in life, and obviously all that he did outside the cricket field is something amazing. But for me personally, when I watched him bat, just as a left-hander, I just loved watching him bat.”

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Devdutt Padikkal credits Yuvraj Singh for adding flair to his left-handed batting

The Indian batter said that watching Yuvraj bat helped him refine his own game and inspired him to add flair and creativity to his left-handed strokeplay.

He signed off by saying, “You know, I feel a lot of, uh, left-handers, if you ask them who was the most good-looking left-hander to watch, it was probably Yuvraj Singh. The elegance with which he batted, and I just love watching him bat. It helped me mold my game in terms of what I wanted to be as a left-hander," he said.

Notably, the 2025 IPL season was a turning point for Padikkal. Despite playing only 10 games due to injury, he made a crucial impact by scoring 247 runs at a strike rate of 150.60, playing a key role in RCB’s first IPL title win in June this year.