Royal Challengers Bengaluru has received a major IPL 2026 playoff boost as Phil Salt is reportedly prepareing to return after recovering from a finger injury.
Phil Salt is reportedly expected to return to India later this week after spending nearly a month out of IPL 2026 with a finger injury. The opener suffered the injury while attempting to stop a boundary during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Delhi Capitals on April 18.
Following the injury, Salt travelled back to England to recover and spend time with his family. Since then, he has missed several matches for RCB.
Despite his absence, Bengaluru secured qualification for the IPL 2026 playoffs and remain strong contenders to finish in the top two.
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RCB still have one league-stage fixture remaining against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. However, according to the ESPcricinfo, the team may avoid rushing Salt back immediately with the playoffs approaching quickly.
Meanwhile, Venkatesh Iyer featured in place of injured captain Rajat Patidar, who missed the previous match after taking a blow on the helmet from Kartik Tyagi last week. Stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma later confirmed that Patidar is recovering well and could return for Friday’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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RCB now looks set to play Qualifier 1 in Dharamsala next Tuesday unless a major Net Run Rate shift changes the standings.
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