Top 3 opening combinations RCB can try in IPL 2026 ft. Virat Kohli-Devdutt Padikkal

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have one of the most potent and dangerous top-order batters in the entire Indian Premier League (IPL). While the franchise’s existing opening combination of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt played a key role in their title triumph in IPL 2025, the team are not stuck with that sole combination.

The arrival of the impact player rule, and the surge of scoring that the league has seen since then, has only made the powerplay all the more important with the bat. Given RCB’s power-packed batting and solid depth, the openers have all the license to go out and capitalise on the fielding restrictions.

Virat Kohli has arguably played some of his best IPL cricket over the last three seasons, and in those years, he has almost exclusively featured as an opener. As a result, the ace batter is highly unlikely to be displaced from his preferred spot, where he has chipped in with a heavy volume of runs, also with an impactful strike rate.

As a result, all RCB can do in terms of tweaking the opening combination is to replace Virat Kohli’s partners. Courtesy of the squad’s incredible depth and highly versatile players, they have the luxury to do that, if needed.

On that note, let us take a look at the top three opening combinations RCB can try in IPL 2026.

#1 Virat Kohli – Phil Salt

The current opening combination for RCB has worked wonders for RCB. Pairing the retained Virat Kohli, with a high-profile signing, and one of the leading T20 openers, has expectedly clicked together. Phil Salt’s ability to launch an onslaught against the bowlers from the get-go, gives Virat Kohli a tempo to match straightaway, which brings the best out of him as a powerplay batter.

The pair have complemented each other seamlessly, as evident through the numbers they produced in 2025. Their ability to adapt to the conditions quickly, distribute strike to the better option, and targetting match-ups are few of the reasons behind their instant success, and immense potential even going ahead.

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt scored 565 runs together in 13 innings at an average of 43.46. In almost half of the matches, they were able to put on a 50-plus partnership, including a dominant 95-run stand in their very first outing together in the IPL 2025 season opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

#2 Virat Kohli – Devdutt Padikkal

While the Virat Kohli-Phil Salt pairing undoubtedly remains RCB’s Plan A in terms of opening combinations, it does not come without any flaws. The partnership potentially misses a left-handed element, leaving to a certain degree of vulnerability.

A bigger concern than that is Phil Salt’s crippling form. The England international had a smooth IPL 2025 season overall, and continued his form for the rest of the year as well. However, 2026 has been a forgettable ordeal so far for the explosive opener.

He has only scored 177 runs across his last 10 innings at an average of 17.70, which includes an abysmal T20 World Cup 2026. Under such circumstances, RCB might not afford to give Salt a long run in the side, if the same poor form persists and prolongs.

RCB have a solid backup plan in Devdutt Padikkal. He not only ticks several boxes in terms of a left-handed element and sublime form, but also the fact that he has opened the batting with Virat Kohli before. The southpaw’s inclusion in place of Salt, also frees up an overseas slot, which RCB could well use to bring Jacob Bethell into the mix at No.3 as well.

Kohli and Padikkal were RCB’s principal openers for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Across 31 innings, the pair put on 1399 runs at an average of 48.24, including three 100-run plus stands.

#3 Virat Kohli – Jacob Bethell

Should Phil Salt not work at the top of the order, and RCB wish to keep Devdutt Padikkal at the No.3 slot where he has shone in recent times for both franchise and domestic sides, there is another more-or-less straight swap option available.

RCB have the luxury of bringing in another overseas batter in Jacob Bethell in place of his international teammate, if needed. The emerging youngster, being a left-handed batter, and in fine form, comes across as a natural fit, although he usually does not open this innings.

RCB had gone this similar route when Phil Salt was unavailable for a few games in IPL 2025. Kohli and Bethell went on to open the batting in the league stage matches against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In those games, they put on an opening partnership of 20 and 97, suggesting a lot of potential in this particular dynamic.