RCB opener Phil Salt set to return to India after month-long injury layoff
New Delhi, May 20
Royal Challengers Bengaluru opening batter Phil Salt is set to return to India later this week after being sidelined for a month from the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 season with a finger injury, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Phil Salt injured a finger on his left hand while attempting to stop a boundary during his team's loss to the Delhi Capitals on April 18. He has not played since and returned home last month.
In his absence, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have already secured a playoff berth and are on course to qualify for Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala next Tuesday, unless there is a major swing in the Net Run Rate of teams in the IPL 2026 points table.
It is still unclear whether Salt will return for RCB's final league match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday.
RCB currently lead the IPL 2026 standings with nine wins and four losses in 13 matches, having accumulated 18 points.
Salt played six matches in the IPL 2026 before the injury sidelined him. In those six innings, he scored two fifties and a 46.
In their most recent IPL 2026 match, RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 23 runs at Dharamsala. Batting first, RCB posted a massive 222/4 thanks to brilliant knocks from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer.
Kohli scored 58 to register his record-extending ninth 500-plus runs IPL season, while Venkatesh remained unbeaten on 73 off 40 balls. Devdutt Padikkal (45) and Tim David (28) also made valuable contributions.
In reply, PBKS suffered an early collapse as Bhuvneshwar (2/38 in 4 overs) removed Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh cheaply, while skipper Shreyas Iyer also fell early. Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shedge fought back with aggressive batting, but RCB bowlers held their nerve in the death overs.
Josh Hazlewood's (1/36 in 4 overs) economical penultimate over proved decisive before Rasikh Salam Dar sealed the win in the final over with two wickets (Shashank Singh and Azmatullah Omarzai), giving away just nine runs.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a neutral fan, RCB's transformation this season is remarkable. From perennial chokers to table-toppers! But I feel for Salt - coming back after a month, especially to a team that's already clicking, will be tough. Finger injuries can be tricky for batsmen. 😟
The real hero here is Bhuvneshwar Kumar! Taking early wickets of Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran - that's vintage Bhuvi. And Rasikh Salam sealing the win in the final over? Young Indian talent stepping up. Salt or no Salt, RCB's bowling attack has finally found its mojo after years of relying only on batters. Jai hind! 🇮🇳
I'm an RCB fan from the UK and I've been watching this season closely. Salt is a big loss but the way Venkatesh Iyer has stepped up - wow. 73* off 40 against a good bowling attack. And Kohli with his 9th 500+ run IPL season? The man is a machine. Hoping Salt comes back fully fit for the playoffs, we need all options in the knockouts! 🙏
Honestly, I think the IPL medical teams need to be more transparent about injury timelines. Salt's been out for a month and we still don't know if he'll play the next match. That's not fair to fans or the player. Having said that, RCB's management deserves credit - they didn't panic after Salt's injury and the team has gelled beautifully. Just hope they don't shuffle the XI unnecessarily now. 😤
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