‘If captain Rajat Patidar says…’ – CSK legend decodes RCB’s No. 3 conundrum for IPL 2026

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) should continue playing Devdutt Padikkal as their number three batter in the upcoming 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Padikkal was entrusted as RCB’s number three last year, where he played 10 times and scored 247 runs. The left-hander, however, suffered an injury towards the latter stages of the competition and therefore missed out on his side’s title-winning run.

Since the last IPL, Padikkal has been in some immaculate form in the domestic circuit, scoring centuries for fun. His form, therefore, warrants him keeping his place in the RCB XI.

“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 told via JioStar.

A host of candidates vying for RCB’s number three slot

RCB’s number three conundrum comes due to the side having many options to slot into the position. These include the likes of the in-form Jacob Bethell, along with skipper Patidar and the new arrival of Venkatesh Iyer. Here, Raina believes that the former KKR batter should also get sufficient game time during the 2026 IPL and could be a vital player in the batting lineup to maintain a left-hand, right-hand 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,” the former CSK cricketer added.

RCB will kickstart their title defence on the opening day of the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.