IPL 2026: 3 reasons why RCB should pick Jacob Bethell over Phil Salt in tonight's clash against MI
The MI vs RCB clash will take place on April 12 at Wankhede Stadium.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will clash with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 game. Although MI have struggled in their initial games, they are a strong side at their home ground.
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt have opened the batting for RCB in IPL 2026 so far. However, Salt’s form has been a concern, as he has struggled to score runs in the initial games.
RCB also have the option of Jacob Bethell as an opener. He has not managed to find a place in the playing XI in the current team combination. Below are the three reasons why RCB should pick Bethell over Salt in the clash against MI.
Why should RCB prefer Bethell over Salt?
Phil Salt’s poor form
Phil Salt has not managed to score a half-century in 3 games so far. He scored 46 runs in the clash against CSK but got out for single digits in the other two encounters. In the previous match, he was gone for a duck against the Rajasthan Royals.
His early dismissal has given a big blow to RCB and hampered their batting at the start. Hence, they should try Bethell as an opener against the Mumbai Indians.
Jacob Bethell’s century at Wankhede
In the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, Bethell finished as England’s highest run-scorer. He scored 280 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 152.17. The left-handed batter also rocked in the semi-final clash against India, smacking a century in a losing cause.
The encounter took place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Hence, due to his heroics at the venue, RCB should give him an opportunity in the clash against MI.
Lefty-righty pair as openers
Both Kohli and Salt are right-handed batters, but Bethell is a left-handed batter. If Kohli and Bethell are picked as the opening pair, RCB will have a lefty-righty combination at the top. This will help them to overpower field restrictions and dominate bowlers at the start.
Who are the RCB openers in IPL 2026?
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are the openers.
Has Jacob Bethell played any games for RCB in IPL 2026?
No, Bethell was not picked in the previous games.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.