RCB Told To Drop Phil Salt vs Gujarat Titans, Urged To Use This Indian Star As Virat Kohli's Opening Partner In Qualifier 1
RCB will take on the Gujarat Titans in a crucial IPL Qualifier 1 game at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
- Cricket
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IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will hope for a positive outcome when they take on Gujarat Titans in an IPL Qualifier 1 game at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Tuesday. On the back of a harrowing loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad, the onus will be on the defending champions to grind out the best.
RCB Urged To Drop Phil Salt In IPL Qualifier 1
Phil Salt has been Virat Kohli's preferred opening partner since IPL 2025 and this campaign hasn't been different. The English explosive batter opened the innings with Virat. But since he sustained an injury in the Delhi Capitals match. He hasn't featured in IPL 2026.
Jacob Bethell went on to partner Virat Kohli at the top, but he has been ruled out of IPL 2026. Venkatesh Iyer partnered with Virat in the last match and gave a very good account of himself with a 19-ball 44. Now Simon Doull feels the opening partnership shouldn't be tinkered with in this crucial game.
In an interaction with Star Sports, he said, “I would stick with Venkatesh Iyer as the opener alongside Virat Kohli. Phil Salt has been out for three and a half weeks. Coming back from a long layoff, especially with a finger injury, is never easy."
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“He is a quality player and has done well for RCB and England in T20s, but match fitness and shot timing take time to return. The playoffs are not the place to test that. Venkatesh has looked good in the last two games. He played well against SRH and was also good against Punjab. He has found a solid rhythm at the top with Kohli."
Will Phil Salt Play Against Gujarat Titans?
Rajat Patidar confirmed Phil Salt is available for the match, but a decision will be taken before the match. Salt returned to England to recuperate from his injury, but he wasn't pictured during RCB's training session. He has managed 202 runs in 6 IPL matches this season and is the 5th highest run getter in IPL this season.