Royal Challengers Bengaluru expect Phil Salt back in India in the next few days, about a month after the opener damaged a finger while sliding for a stop against Delhi Capitals on 18 April. The left-hand index finger has settled, and Salt has been home in the UK with his young family while it mended.
The timing is tight. RCB are already safe in the play-offs and, unless their net run rate (basically the team’s scoring speed compared with opponents) takes a hammering, they should land in Qualifier 1 at Dharamsala next Tuesday. Whether Salt plays before that remains open: the medical staff are wary of rushing him for Friday night’s last league fixture away to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Stand-in opener Jacob Bethell has gathered 96 runs in seven starts, the highest 27, and even he admits it “hasn’t quite clicked yet”. RCB tried something different on Sunday, pushing Venkatesh Iyer to the top; he responded with an unbeaten 73 in the win over Punjab Kings. That innings has muddied selection waters further.
Captain Rajat Patidar missed the Punjab trip after being rattled on the helmet by a Kartik Tyagi bouncer against Kolkata Knight Riders. Jitesh Sharma, who led the side on Sunday, offered a brief update, saying Patidar was “doing really well” and should travel to Hyderabad. If Patidar returns and Salt is also cleared, RCB suddenly have two top-order slots for four men – Kohli, Salt, Iyer and Bethell – not to mention others knocking around the squad.
Salt’s own form earlier in the tournament was brisk: 272 runs at a strike-rate close to 160, giving Kohli both momentum and a right-left combination. Those numbers explain RCB’s reluctance to gamble now. Lose Salt again and they carry an avoidable handicap into a knockout week that already squeezes nerves and resources.
All told, the immediate priority is a clean bill of health. The batting order can wait until trainers, X-rays and Salt himself give the go-ahead.
