‘Roles reversed’ - Abhinav Mukund backs star player for RCB’s No.3 spot in IPL 2026

India’s former cricketer Abhinav Mukund has backed Devdutt Padikkal to play at No. 3 position in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this season, Padikkal will have a lot of responsibility on him. He has had a stellar domestic season and helped Karnataka qualify for the finals in the Ranji Trophy. Hence, form is not an issue here.

Talking to ESPN Cricinfo, Mukund revealed that he would rather go with Padikkal batting at No. 3 position than Venkatesh Iyer. RCB bought Iyer in the mini auction which was a steal deal. While Padikkal has played for the franchise before, this will be Iyer’s first season. Hence, the management might think of sending him down the order.

"At the time of the auction last year, Venkatesh Iyer's stocks were probably at 10, and Devdutt Padikkal was at 2. The roles are reversed now. Devdutt had a phenomenal season. He's the one knocking on the doors of the Indian team cricket. He had a very good season for RCB at No.3. So for me, Venkatesh Iyer does not start. I would start with Devdutt Padikkal," Abhinav Mukund said on ESPN Cricinfo.

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Around that strike rate: Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund shed light on Padikkal’s strike-rate as he has not been attacking the bowlers and playing fast in a T20 game. But since it’s not his natural game, he struggled to just score runs by going after the bowler from the first ball. Padikkal is a sensible batter and knows how to score runs later.

"The question around him is around that strike rate, isn't it? Last year you could see there was a lot of talk around pushing the strike rate, go in and play the game, take it on. There was a lot of confidence from the leadership group to push him because it was not his natural game," he said.

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