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RCB Opening Woes: Salt or No Salt, Duo Must Fire vs KKR

RCB's opening pair, which was prolific last season with 682 runs, has drastically declined to 332 runs this season. The absence of Phil Salt due to injury has forced Jacob Bethell into the role, but he has failed to fire with only 70 runs in five innings. Virat Kohli's recent slump, including two consecutive ducks, has compounded the team's woes. With Salt's return uncertain, RCB desperately need their opening duo to rediscover their form against KKR.

Key Points: RCB Opening Pair Struggles: Numbers Drop Drastically

  • RCB opening pair's runs dropped from 682 to 332 this season
  • Phil Salt's injury has disrupted the duo
  • Virat Kohli has two back-to-back ducks
  • Jacob Bethell averages only 14.00
  • RCB face KKR in a crucial match on Wednesday
2 min read

Salt or not, RCB need their opening pair to fire against KKR as numbers witness drastic drop

RCB's opening pair, hit by Phil Salt's injury, has seen a drastic drop in runs. Can Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell fire against KKR?

"Salt or not, RCB desperately need their opening pair to click like their previous season. - Cricbuzz analysis"

Raipur, May 13

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who have been hit by the absence of their prolific opener Phil Salt mid-season due to injury, will be aiming for their opening duo to fire during a crucial match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Raipur on Wednesday.

Last year in RCB's championship-winning run, the opening pair of Salt and Virat had set a standard of playing attacking cricket, despite having two very contrasting individual styles. However, this time, RCB's opening pair, which has included a young Jacob Bethell in the second half so far, has not been as prolific.

Last year, the pairing of Virat with Salt and Bethell (the latter for two matches), produced 682 runs at an average of 45.46 and a run-rate of 10.30, with seven fifty-run plus stands.

However, this season, the numbers have gone down to 332 runs in 11 innings, averaging 30.16, with a run-rate of 9.91, with only two fifty-plus stands, as per a stat from Cricbuzz. 227 of these runs have come with Salt-Kohli pairing in six innings, with a century and a fifty-run stand.

Bethell has failed to fire on the other hand, with just 70 runs in five innings at an average of 14.00 and a strike rate of 120.69, including a best score of 27 and only two 20-plus scores. Virat's brief slump in past two matches, with two back-to-back ducks, has not helped the matters either, with their highest partnership being of 34 runs against Gujarat Titans (GT).

With Salt having come back to India after undergoing scans for his finger injury, there is no certainty if he will play against KKR. But Salt or not, RCB desperately need their opening pair to click like their previous season.

Squads: Kolkata Knight Riders Squad: Ajinkya Rahane(c), Finn Allen, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Blessing Muzarabani, Matheesha Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Sarthak Ranjan, Prashant Solanki, Saurabh Dubey, Umran Malik, Daksh Kamra Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Rasikh Salam Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Philip Salt, Nuwan Thushara, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Swapnil Singh.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Ravi K
šŸ Salt's injury has exposed our depth issue. Last year's magic was real, but this season feels like dĆ©jĆ  vuā€”RCB struggling when it matters most. Kohli's two ducks don't help either. We need a plan B, not just hope Salt returns. KKR's spin attack will feast on us if we don't sort this out.
N
Nikita R
It's not all gloomā€”remember last year's final? šŸ† They turned it around when it mattered. But honestly, expecting Bethell to replicate Salt's aggression is unfair. Virat needs to anchor while others take risks. KKR is a tough side; must get the combinations right.
L
Lakshmi R
Cricket chai pe charcha time: The stats say it allā€”332 runs at 9.91 SR is not defending champion level. šŸ˜” Salt-Kohli partnership was the heartbeat of our batting. Bethell is raw; give him time but not at cost of playoffs. Should try Venkatesh Iyer at top if Salt unfit. Just a thought, though!
A
Amar S
People forget cricket is a team game. If Kohli anchors and others like Patidar or Tim David step up, we can still win. But repeatedly blaming Bethell or Salt's absence overlooks bigger issues: middle-order inconsistency. Time for management to show some spine and try new combos.
P
Priya S
Ee sala cup namde? šŸ™ But only if openings clicks! Salt's return is still uncertain, but Bethell deserves patienceā€”he's young and learning. Kohli needs to lead by example. KKR will attack

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