Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina prefers Devdutt Padikkal for the number 3 spot of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting order. Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, which will start on March 28, Raina structured the RCB batting order according to his understanding.
For the number three batting slot, the IPL 2025 winners have multiple options in their set-up. Along with Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, and Jacob Bethell are also capable of batting for the special role.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a pile of runs ahead of the IPL 2026 season
Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, Devdutt Padikkal scored tons of runs across all domestic seasons for Karnataka. The top order batter accumulated 543 runs in 11 matches in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, averaging 54.30. In the semifinals of the tournament, he registered a record-breaking 232-run knock to make headlines.
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In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the experienced batter got 725 runs in 9 matches for an amazing batting average of 90.63. And in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, his batting average locked in at 61.80, and a 167.03 strike rate after playing in 6 innings.
Suresh Raina prescribed Devdutt Padikkal for the number 3 batting position
In the previous season, Padikkal was the first-choice number 3 batter for the defending champions before he was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Raina believes that for the 2026 campaign, RCB will trust the in-form batter.
“I think RCB will play Padikkal at No.3. Virat Kohli and Phil Salt will open, then there is Jitesh Sharma at No.4. If captain Rajat Patidar says that I can play at No.5, then it can happen. They can go for a left-hand-right-hand combination as well, they already have a left-hander at No.3,” Suresh Raina opined on Star Sports.
What will be the role for Venkatesh Iyer if Padikkal plays at 3 for RCB?
If RCB plays Padikkal at number 3, then what will be the role for Venkatesh Iyer? Venkatesh Iyer was acquired by the reigning champions for ₹7 crore during the IPL 2026 auction. There must be some plans with Iyer, as the franchise invested so much money in him. Rain said that Iyer can be a good choice for them as an Impact Player to maintain a left arm-right arm batting combination.
“I think the pitches in Bengaluru will suit Venkatesh Iyer more, he is a quality player. He likes to play higher up the order, he can score in all areas of the ground. I think they can play him for the left-hand-right-hand combination, especially since they have a finisher like Jitesh Sharma below,” Suresh Raina added.
Unlike Devdutt Padikkal’s standout performance, Venkatesh Iyer did not have a joyride in the recent domestic fixtures. In the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, the batter scored 367 runs for a batting average of 36.70. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, his batting average was 25.14. The batting average of 26.38 was during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 2025 tournament.
