Jacob Bethell did a reasonable job opening the innings with Virat Kohli in Phil Salt’s absence.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have almost qualified for the playoffs, and one more win will confirm their spot for the next round. While their squad is well settled, a few concerns have arisen in the last few games.
Phil Salt has not played in the last few games due to a fever, while Josh Hazlewood also missed the previous encounter due to a shoulder niggle. Two premium overseas players on the team have done a reasonable job.
Jacob Bethell did a reasonable job opening the innings with Virat Kohli in Phil Salt’s absence. RCB must make a tough call and choose between Salt and Bethell.
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RCB are lucky to have two quality options, Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell. Now that Salt is available, who should sit out for the remainder of the tournament?
While Bethell did well in limited opportunities, RCB might slot Salt back into the XI. Salt is a more proven batter with a better attacking skillset to exploit the powerplay overs.
Further, he was always their first choice and did a fairly decent job before sickness forced him to sit out. So, it’s wise to back their strengths and stick to what has worked for the team earlier in the season.
Phil Salt has played nine innings in IPL 2025, accumulating 239 runs at an average of 26.55 and a strike rate of 168.30. Further, he also has two fifties with the willow.
What’s more important is his powerplay numbers, where he has excelled brilliantly. During the field restrictions, he has 212 runs at a strike rate of 175.20 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 3.10.
His presence at the top confirms that RCB get a flying start in almost every game. Bethell can take some time before going berserk, but Salt is a powerplay specialist who goes after the bowlers right from the get-go and puts bowlers under pressure.
That also allows Virat Kohli to bat deep if the deck is slightly on the slower side and keep one end safe. Hence, Phil Salt should return to the XI as the tournament reaches a crucial point.
RCB’s strongest playing XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
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