Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star opener Virat Kohli lavished praise on Devdutt Padikal after registering a seven-wicket win against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
Kohli, who played an unbeaten 73-run match-winning knock against PBK,S believes that Devdutt Padikkal's 61-run knock made the difference against PBKS.
"I thought Dev made a difference today, this award should go to him, I don't know why they have given it to me. I try to stay there, holding one end up and try to accelerate later. There is always a temptation to keep going in the same way. One partnership is good enough in T20 cricket during run chase. I can accelerate, but I want to understand the strengths of other players. Holding one end up at the moment, that's working for us. It was a very good auction for us, we got a good team. These guys were composed (after the auction.) Guys like David, Jitesh, Patidar, the roles they are playing. It's coming off nicely. Also Romario coming in for us today. Livingstone's also there. That was missing over the last seasons. Guys can keep counter-attacking, the guys are hungry. You can see that intensity on the field as they are diving around. That is really pleasing to see. When you play like that, your chances of winning are better. said Kohli in post match conference.
Kohli also highlighted the importance of the win against PBKS in terms of the team's ranking on the points table. They (RCB) are currently third in the points table with five wins, three losses and 10 points. With the same win-loss ratio, PBKS is in the fourth spot.
"Very important game for us. 2 points can make a massive difference in terms of qualification. We have played some amazing cricket away from home. When you go from eight to ten (points), it makes a massive difference in the points table. The mindset has to be to get 2 points in every game. I wanted to accelerate more" Kohli also said.
Kohli believes that the side needs to go hard against PBKS after facing a humiliating defeat against the Shreyas Iyer-led side on their home ground.
"There always is a temptation to keep going in the same way. Last game was a shortened game, so we had to go hard (against PBKS" Kohli added.
RCB will now face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their upcoming clash of the tournament, which is scheduled to take place on April 24 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. This will be the second time that both franchises will face each other in the 18th edition of the tournament. During their last outing, RCB defeated RR at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Rajasthan.