Phil Salt Set to Rejoin RCB After Injury Layoff
Phil Salt's Return to RCB
Phil Salt, the opening batsman for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), is expected to arrive back in India this week after missing a month of the IPL 2026 season due to a finger injury, according to reports.
The injury occurred on April 18 when Salt attempted to prevent a boundary during a match against the Delhi Capitals. Following the incident, he returned home last month and has not participated in any games since. Despite his absence, RCB has already clinched a playoff spot and is poised to qualify for Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala next Tuesday, barring any significant changes in the Net Run Rate among the teams in the IPL 2026 standings.
It remains uncertain if Salt will be available for RCB's last league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday. Currently, RCB tops the IPL 2026 table with nine victories and four defeats across 13 matches, totaling 18 points.
Before his injury, Salt played six matches in the IPL 2026, scoring two half-centuries and a 46.
RCB's Recent Match Against PBKS
In their latest IPL 2026 encounter, RCB triumphed over Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 23 runs in Dharamsala. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, RCB amassed an impressive total of 222/4, driven by outstanding performances from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer.
Kohli scored 58 runs, marking his record-extending ninth season with over 500 runs in the IPL, while Venkatesh Iyer remained not out at 73 off 40 deliveries. Additional contributions came from Devdutt Padikkal (45) and Tim David (28).
In response, PBKS faced an early setback as Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/38 in 4 overs) dismissed Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh quickly, with captain Shreyas Iyer also falling early. Although Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, and Suryansh Shedge attempted to mount a comeback with aggressive batting, RCB's bowlers maintained their composure during the death overs. Josh Hazlewood's economical penultimate over (1/36 in 4 overs) was crucial, and Rasikh Salam Dar sealed the victory in the final over by taking two wickets (Shashank Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai) while conceding just nine runs.