The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Phil Salt has returned to England in between the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. No, he isn’t skipping the tournament but has been called by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to examine his current finger injury. One of the swashbuckling openers in T20 cricket, Salt has missed RCB’s last three games due to an injury on the left hand. Now, he has flown back to England for scans.
The injury, though not officially detailed by RCB, is understood to have occurred during their home game against Delhi Capitals on April 18. Salt hurt his finger while diving at deep backward square leg in the sixth over of the second innings. It looked nothing serious at that time, but it has since kept him out of action.
Before the setback, Salt had given RCB exactly what they wanted at the top. He scored 202 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 168.33, setting the tone early alongside Virat Kohli. That aggressive intent at the top has been one of the reasons behind RCB’s strong start to the season.
Bethell set for extended run at the top
With Salt unavailable, Jacob Bethell has slotted in as Virat Kohli’s opening partner. The left-hander hasn’t quite got going yet, scoring 39 runs in three innings, but the opportunity is clearly there now. With Salt back in England and no fixed return date yet, Bethell is likely to get a longer rope.
RCB also have Jordan Cox in the squad as a backup batting option, but the management seems inclined to persist with Bethell for now. The team is in a good position on the table, which gives them the cushion to back players without making knee-jerk changes.
RCB opening pairs in IPL 2026:
| Partners | Inns | Runs | Highest | Average | Run Rate | 100/50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli, Phil Salt | 6 | 227 | 120 | 37.83 | 9.65 | 1/1 |
| Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli | 3 | 86 | 34 | 28.66 | 10.11 | 0/0 |
Under IPL rules, RCB can sign a replacement if Salt is ruled out for the season. However, that doesn’t seem to be on the cards yet. Both the franchise and the ECB are hopeful that the injury is not serious and that Salt can return later this month. For now, RCB are making the most of a short break. Following their loss to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, several players travelled to the Maldives for a brief reset. Their next game is against Lucknow Super Giants on May 7, and whether Salt is back by then remains uncertain.
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