Why did Phil Salt miss RCB vs GT clash of IPL 2026?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Phil Salt was part of RCB’s previous game against DC in IPL 2026.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are clashing with Gujarat Titans (GT) in match 34 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The encounter is taking place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
RCB have won four games and lost two out of six in IPL 2026 so far. With eight points, they take the third spot in the points table. On the other hand, GT have won three games and won an equal number of matches out of six. They are placed in the seventh spot with six points.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field first in the clash. At the toss, he made a big announcement, revealing that Phil Salt will not be taking part in the RCB vs GT clash of IPL 2026. The news surprised everyone as Salt has been in a fabulous form in the tournament.
Why is Phil Salt not playing RCB vs GT clash of IPL 2026?
Patidar informed that Salt is missing the clash due to an injury and Jacob Bethell has replaced him in the playing XI.
“I just feel this will be a bowl-first pitch. And as you all know, chasing gives us a lot of clarity about the result, the score and the total. One change – Salty got injured, Bethell is in. I think one great point that I like is that we are assessing the wicket and assessing the situation pretty well this year,” he said at toss.
“And of course, there’s a lot of planning behind it. It’s pretty obvious. Whenever you come here at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, it’s a good wicket to bat on. But I think there’s no grass on it, so first innings it might be tacky a bit,” he added.
Salt was part of all six previous games of RCB. He has scored two half-centuries and also slammed a half-century in the previous game against Delhi Capitals (DC). With 202 runs in six games at a strike rate of 168.33, he is the third-highest run-scorer for his side.
GT playing XI: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.
RCB playing XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.
Is Phil Salt part of RCB vs GT match?
No, Salt is not part of RCB vs GT match.
Who are the openers for RCB in the clash against GT?
Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell are the openers for RCB in the clash against GT.
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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.