Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore (PTI Photo/Sailendra Bhojak)

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Devdutt Padikkal is no longer just a brilliant timer of the ball; He is developing into a complete T20 force. Padikkal, who played a blistering 61 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in an exclusive interview with TOI, opened up about the mental reset behind his aggressive innings, the technical fine-tuning with RCB’s think tank and the clarity of his role in the power-packed lineup. As the IPL 2026 season approaches, his ambitions are firmly set on the India jersey. This season is a battle of fearless talents, giants and giants, and Padikkal is determined to be one of them. Part… Q. 61 off 26 against Sunrisers Hyderabad… did it feel like a continuation of your Vijay Hazare Trophy form, or a conscious change in approach IPL? It is very different when you go to an IPL game. But at the same time, scoring runs is always a confidence booster. And scoring so many runs in the domestic season definitely helped me be more confident and calm when I went out there to bat. But ultimately, when you go to IPL you need to take a very aggressive approach and your mindset definitely changes. Q. You have transformed from being seen as a classic top-order batsman to someone who can change gears explosively. What changed mentally and technically? A lot has changed mentally and technically. First of all, mentally, you obviously need to believe that you are capable of batting at a pace that will make you successful in the IPL, and that’s something I had to work on a lot. I have grown up batting a certain way and it is not that easy to make that change. And, of course, technically, I have worked with andy flowersmo bobat and Dinesh Karthik The last few years have helped me a lot in getting a few things right regarding my balance while batting, position before the ball is released and some other aspects related to batting. I won’t get into the technicalities, but it definitely took a lot to get to where I am now. Q. Royal Challengers Bangalore have many power-hitters, how do you define your role in this batting lineup? It is very clear to me what I have to do when I go there. I have to keep the momentum going. We have some very explosive batsmen in the entire lineup. And when you have that kind of firepower, you have to make sure you don’t break that momentum. That’s what I want to do and keep it simple from there. Q. You have had good IPL seasons in the past and the call-ups from India haven’t come as often as perhaps your numbers would have warranted. Does that still inspire you, or have you made peace with controlling what you can? Of course, playing for India is the ultimate goal! And whenever you score runs, you hope that you are being noticed and you are in the running to play for the country, and it remains like that. But at the end of the day, you can only control what you can, and that’s what I’m trying to do. Hopefully, if I continue to perform well and continue to do the right things, I’ll get there eventually. Q. With a busy international calendar, do you allow yourself to think about the India jersey, or do you deliberately keep this conversation away from your mind? no way! I don’t try to keep it from my mind because it’s a goal I want to achieve, and it’s something that keeps me motivated. It is important that you continue to dream and make sure that those thoughts do not leave you. It’s important that you keep believing that you’re going to achieve it, and having that goal in front of me motivates me even more.