Phil Salt to rejoin RCB later this week as IPL 2026 playoffs near
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Phil Salt to rejoin RCB later this week as IPL 2026 playoffs near")
Phil Salt to rejoin RCB later this week as IPL 2026 playoffs near Photograph: (Others)
RCB received a massive IPL 2026 playoff boost as opener Phil Salt is set to rejoin the squad following a finger injury. Read the latest team updates on Rajat Patidar and RCB's lineup strategy ahead of their final league match against SRH
England opener Phil Salt will reunite with his IPL team squad later this week in a massive boost for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as the playoffs near. Away with a finger injury for over a month, the former world no.1 T20I batter will be back donning the RCB jersey after his team earlier qualified for the last four. Salt injured his finger while attempting to save a boundary during the Delhi Capitals clash on April 18. He has remained absent from the IPL scene since, returning home for scans and recovery and spending quality time with his young family.
In Salt’s absence, his compatriot Jacob Bethell opened with Virat Kohli, with RCB securing IPL playoff qualification in the meantime. The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT) have also joined RCB in the playoffs, with one spot remaining up for grabs.
Should RCB beat SRH in their final league game at home on Friday (May 22), they will finish the group stage with 18 points from 14 contested matches, sealing one of the top two spots. However, it remains unclear if Salt will link up with the RCB squad by then and also remain available for selection. Considering the defending IPL champions have already bagged the playoff berth, they will not risk playing Salt against SRH, keeping him fresh for the final-four stage.
Meanwhile, unlike Salt’s performance and impact, his so-far replacement at the top, Bethell, failed to strike gold while opening. Tipped as England’s next superstar, the left-handed opener has scored just 96 runs in seven innings this season. Regardless of Salt’s availability for RCB’s last league match, Bethell’s position has come under scrutiny. Venkatesh Iyer’s match-winning 73 against the Punjab Kings in their previous game could push his case at the top as the playoffs approach.
Iyer replaced regular captain Rajat Patidar, who suffered a blow to his head during the KKR game. However, with the stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma confirming Patidar’s availability for the SRH game, the RCB could potentially retain Iyer, but at the top with Kohli.
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