Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar has shared an important update on opener Phil Salt ahead of their IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 clash against Gujarat Titans in Dharamshala on Monday, May 26.
Salt had been out of action after suffering a finger injury during RCB’s home match against Delhi Capitals on April 18. Since then, young England batter Jacob Bethell opened the innings alongside Virat Kohli. However, Bethell also returned to England after picking up a finger injury.
Patidar revealed that Salt has now recovered and is training with the squad. However, the team management has not yet decided whether he will play in the important Qualifier match.
Phil Salt returns to training before Qualifier 1
“Salt is fit. He is under observation from the doctor. He has been participating in a few drills but we haven’t decided on our playing eleven yet. We will look at the wicket and decide,” Patidar said, via NDTV.
In the absence of Salt and Bethell, RCB promoted Venkatesh Iyer to the opening slot in the previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The left-handed batter impressed everyone by scoring 44 runs from just 19 balls.
If Salt is declared fit for the match against GT, he is likely to return as opener. That could see Iyer move back to the middle order. Earlier this season, Iyer scored an unbeaten 73 against Punjab Kings while batting at number four.
Salt has been one of RCB’s key players in recent seasons. He played an important role in helping the franchise win its maiden IPL title in 2025. In IPL 2026, Salt has scored 202 runs in six matches at a strike rate above 168, including two half-centuries.
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