Why Phil Salt is not Playing Today for RCB vs GT in IPL 2026

However, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad had to deal with its first issue before the game against the Gujarat Titans when Phil Salt got injured and could not take part in the match. The team captain, Rajat Patidar, revealed during the toss that Salt was still unfit and the side had to make some changes in its lineup.

Salt is one of the key players of RCB. The team has lost an attacking batsman who can get off to a fast start in the match since he is absent. Bethell had to be brought in place of Salt since the latter was unavailable for the game.

Team Strategy and Pitch Talk

Rajat Patidar said:

" 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. And of course, there’s a lot of planning behind it. t’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."

Patidar mentioned that the team has developed match reading abilities which help them make better decisions during the current season.

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Impact on RCB Lineup

The absence of Phil Salt forced RCB to change their batting lineup. Bethell comes into the side, and the team will expect him to step up in this important game.

The lineup remains strong with Virat Kohli and other players despite the absence of one player. The team expects their remaining players to perform under pressure.

The team faces problems regarding Salt's injury because he might miss upcoming matches.

Match Scenario

Gujarat Titans (Playing XI):

Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):

Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar