‘Massive when you have Kohli on other side…': Padikkal's success linked to flourishing partnership with RCB legend
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal's fourth 80+ runs partnership of IPL 2025 saw them move into second in most runs as a pair this season.
Devdutt Padikkal’s return to Royal Challengers Bengaluru has developed into a largely successful one, as his ability to play second-fiddle to Virat Kohli has created one of the more proficient partnerships in the IPL. With a 95-run stand for the second wicket against Rajasthan Royals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Padikkal and Kohli registered their fourth 50+ partnership of the season, with all four also being in excess of 80 runs.
Padikkal had a quiet start to the IPL season, but has bounced back with 151 runs in his last three innings, all coming at a very solid rate. Meanwhile, Kohli’s strong season continued with a 70(42), taking him to second in the Orange Cap list, only behind Sai Sudharsan.
Most partnership runs in IPL 2025:
- Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill: 448 runs
- Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal: 429 runs
- Virat Kohli and Phil Salt: 376 runs
- Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler: 352 runs
Commenting on why Kohli and Padikkal work so well as a partnership, former South African great Shaun Pollock explained that Kohli has the right approach in terms of handling Padikkal’s natural talent in the middle part of an innings, especially given how Kohli seemed to be cheering his younger partner on, celebrating Padikkal’s 50 enthusiastically as well.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Pollock explained: “You do mature individually. It’s massive when you have a player of the like of Kohli on the other side, and he’s coming down between deliveries, saying don’t worry, it’s going to be fine.”
RCB reach 12 points after first home win of 2025
Pollock also indicated how Kohli’s tactical understanding of how to build an innings can help his partners pace themselves as well. After Padikkal had a watchful start, he kickstarted his innings by attacking the spin of Riyan Parag and the pace of Tushar Deshpande through the middle overs.
“Just remember who’s going to come, Parag might bowl an over or we can go after Deshpande, just some words of advice to calm him down, to say it’s not the end of the world, just hang in there, your time will come,” explained Pollock about the benefit of having Virat Kohli at the other end.
Kohli and Padikkal’s 95-run partnership laid the platform for a powerful end to the innings, as although they were dismissed in the space of two overs, some late hitting from Jitesh Sharma and Tim David helped the score to 203-5. On a tricky Bangalore wicket, this was a total that was considered above par, and resulted in an 11-run victory that firmly places RCB as one of the favourites to qualify for the playoffs.
