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The India and Karnataka right-hander makes a return to the RCB colours after 12 years, replacing the injured Devdutt Padikkal.
Mayank Agarwal in RCB colors (PC: X/Screengrab)
Mayank Agarwal expressed delight upon returning to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) camp for the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League. As the India and Karnataka right-hander replaced RCB’s injured No. 3 batter Devdutt Padikkal for the remaining games, he was thrilled to make a comeback to the franchise’s set-up and rejoin hands with his special old teammate and former skipper Virat Kohli, among others.
RCB players and support staff gave Agarwal a warm reception and welcomed him back into their fold while bidding adieu to Padikkal, who had been ruled out of the campaign with a hamstring injury. In a video posted on the franchise’s official Instagram handle, Agarwal spoke about how his ‘life has come full circle’ as he made his debut for the popular franchise back in 2011 and now makes a comeback to the RCB colours after 2013.
“Thank you for this. Very, very honoured and happy to be back at RCB. This feels like life has come full circle. I started here in 2011 and back here. And like you (Virat Kohli) said, god has his way of getting things done,” said Aggarwal in his first interaction with the rest of the RCB players and management.
He also offered a word of consolation to Padikkal as his Karnataka teammate now heads to NCA for rehabilitation after playing 10 matches of the tournament. “Dev, gutted for you. I thought you were batting well and having watched you play through the season was nice to see. From where you were last season to where you’ve come is huge.”
The 34-year-old, whom RCB have signed at Rs 1 crore after he went unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, also complimented the high-flying RCB squad for their magnificent run in the season and hoped to contribute to their push for a maiden IPL trophy.
“Just to the guys, me being a Bengalurian, I have been following all of you, and the kind of cricket we’ve played shows where we are on the points table. I just wish to come and provide a little bit of icing on the cake you’ve built,” said the attacking right-hander who has played 127 matches with 2661 runs in his IPL career.
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