In 2025, Padikkal played a crucial role at the top of the order for RCB, scoring 247 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150.61. In 2026, he scored 111 runs in just two games at a strike rate of 201.82.

"I feel that auction was probably the turning point of my career in a lot of ways. I was at that stage of my career where I needed to really commit to the type of cricket I want to play, the kind of cricketer I wanted to be. And coming back to RCB paved my path towards the brand of cricket I wanted to play," Padikkal said in a video released by RCB on X.

"When I got that opportunity with RCB, I feel that's the day I decided that there are a lot of things that I need to do and I needed to really commit to working on those things regardless of what the outcome may be, what the result may be," he added.

Padikkal made an immediate impact in his debut 2020 IPL season with RCB, scoring 473 runs and winning the Emerging Player Award. After spending a few seasons with the Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants, RCB bought him back at his base price of Rs 2 Crore during the 2025 mega auction.

"When I got that opportunity with RCB, I feel that's the day I decided that there are a lot of things that I need to do and I needed to really commit to working on those things regardless of what the outcome may be, what the result may be," he added.

"I did not understand it enough. The way the season went, it really dampened a lot of things that had happened that year. But at the same time, that gave me that motivation and that real fire in me to try and get better, and sometimes you need that. You need those failures along your journey to remind you how much harder you need to work to get to where you want to get to," he added.