Salt made 403 runs in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 176.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally broke the curse and clinched their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title earlier this year. Under Head Coach Andy Flower and captain Rajat Patidar, they had a remarkable run in IPL 2025. RCB had built a formidable side in the mega auction, bringing in players with clear role clarity. Picking players with specific skill sets instead of focusing on big names was the key to their success in the tournament. Looking forward to IPL 2026, RCB will look to retain most of their championship-winning squad. But to strengthen the squad with new signings, they could release a few players in the auction pool. One of those could be Phil Salt.
Phil Salt has two back-to-back title-winning IPL seasons with two different franchises. He was pivotal in both teams’ success. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won the title with him in 2024, but could not retain him due to the mega auction. He hammered 435 runs in that season at an average of 39.54 while striking at 182.
KKR’s loss was RCB’s gain. He delivered another impactful season, amassing 403 runs at an average of 33.58 and a strike rate of 176. He smashed four half-centuries in the season.
Phil Salt doing what he does best 💥
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 29, 2025
He delivers a big knock in a crucial clash with a 23-ball 5⃣0⃣* 💪
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Salt is someone who is naturally aggressive and takes the bowlers on from the get-go. His ability to provide fast starts makes a huge difference as teams look to take full advantage of the power-play restrictions. His partnership with Virat Kohli was outstanding as the pair consistently got them off to flying starts.
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Despite all his impact, RCB might look to release him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. It could be a huge shock, but there are compelling reasons they could consider it.
The biggest reason would be to acquire an Indian batting talent. There is a good possibility that KKR could release Venkatesh Iyer, for whom they had spent INR 23.75 crore in the mega auction. Venkatesh had a disastrous IPL 2025 and could be let go.
RCB had eyes on him as one of the targets in the mega auction. In fact, they were the losing side in that bidding war against KKR. His stocks are currently low but could still fetch around 12-15 crore in a mini auction. For that, RCB will need to free up the purse. Salt was bought for INR 11.50 crore. Releasing Salt, along with a couple of others, can give RCB enough purse to go after Venkatesh.
RCB also have Jacob Bethell in their squad. He is young and has a much better ceiling as a player. They can not continue to bench him, as Bethell would ideally want more game time. Not getting that could result in Bethell seeking an opportunity somewhere else. He was bought for INR 2.60 crore in the mega auction, but his stocks are higher than they were at that time. If he doesn’t get opportunities, Bethell could be tempted to part ways with the franchise.
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