Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star opener Phil Salt is fit but there is no confirmation on whether he will play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Dharamsala's HPCA Stadium on May 26. On the eve of the match, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar said that Salt is currently under observation. The playing XI will be decided once they get a look at the surface on which Qualifier 1 will be played on.
"Salt is fit, he is under observation. But we have not decided yet on our playing XI. We will look at the wicket and then we will decide," Patidar said in the pre-match press conference.
Last week, Salt had joined the RCB camp after recovering from finger injury which ruled him out of seven league stage matches. He did not play against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as a precautionary measure. In his absence, Venkatesh Iyer replaced an injured Jacob Bethell who has since flown home ahead of playoffs and the Test series opener against New Zealand commencing on June 4.
Whom to keep, whom to drop?
RCB are currently facing a dilemma. Iyer has proved his mettle when he replaced Patidar in Dharamsala, scoring an unbeaten 73 at no.4. In the previous game, he scored a 19-ball 44 against SRH in Hyderabad. If RCB continue with the same combination, Salt will sit out. Otherwise, they will have to choose between Iyer and Romario Shepherd. Also, the have the option to bench Suyash Sharma.
Will RCB try what Sehwag suggested?
After the SRH game, former India opener Virender Sehwag had suggested that RCB drop an under-performing Jitesh Sharma and hand the wicketkeeping gloves to Salt. This way, they will be able to include both Salt and Iyer in the playing XI. Even if the an attempt a switch like that, It is not clear whether Salt is fit to keep wickets.
Salt’s numbers before injury
Salt had scored two half-centuries in the six games he played before getting ruled out of action. He amassed 202 runs at a strike rate of 168.33.