When RCB bagged Phil Salt in the IPL 2025 auction for Rs. 11.5 crore, it was seen as a masterstroke. For years, Bengaluru has been looking to find the ideal partner for Virat Kohli at the top. They found some success with Faf du Plessis, but the South African batter was heading towards the fag end of his career and they needed someone younger and for the future.
Salt enjoyed his breakthrough season with KKR, coming on as a replacement player and then playing a vital role in their title triumph in 2024. Given his success in 2023 in T20Is, it was a surprise that no one went for him in the auction. But one man’s loss was another’s gain.
The England wicketkeeper scored 435 runs for KKR at a strike-rate of 182.01. So when RCB got him, he immediately became the darling of the fanbase. Salt ended up scoring 403 runs in 13 matches and achieved the rare feat of winning the IPL in consecutive seasons with two different teams. RCB thought they have finally found someone who will allow Kohli to play his natural game.
But things haven’t been great for the English wicketkeeper in recent times. In the 10 T20Is in 2026, Salt has just got 177 runs at an average of 17.7 and a strike-rate of 148.73. And with just one fifty to his name.
The T20 World Cup 2026 was probably the lowest point in Salt’s career with England so far. In 8 matches, he got just 130 runs. The strike-rate was 158.53 and his average 16.25.
But will IPL 2026 be the place where Salt finds his redemption?
SALT STEPS UP IN IPL
Since making his IPL debut in 2023, Salt has found himself in the top 20 batters when it comes to runs scored. In 34 matches, he has 1056 runs at an average of 34.06. This makes him the 5th highest run-getter among foreigners. His strike-rate of 175.7 is the fifth-highest amongst foreigners who have played 15 matches or more during this time frame, placing him above the likes of Heinrich Klaasen and Tim David.
These numbers show that Salt always steps up when it comes to the IPL. He has atleast scored two fifties in each season of the IPL since his debut.
THE KOHLI CONNECTION
One of the best things with Salt during his time with RCB has been how quickly he formed the connection with Kohli right at the top. You could sense that there was a freedom in Kohli’s batting once the England wicketkeeper came in and the numbers don’t lie.
The RCB duo put on 565 runs in 13 matches, the third-best batting pair last season. They had six fifty-run stands and an average of 43.46. This has certainly got Mo Bobat, RCB’s director of cricket, all excited and he expects the duo to rekindle the magic once again. The same one that got them the IPL title last season.
“I’m looking forward to watching him and Virat walk out to bat like they do. Couple of gladiators walking out, which is always exciting. And they’ll be trying to put the opposition under pressure. We’ve got a lot of confidence in our team. Huge amount of confidence in Phil Salt and I’m sure he’ll go out there and do his thing,” said Bobat.
CONFIDENCE FROM MANAGEMENT
Usually, when a player walks in not in the best of form it is always easy to look at the next best option. In RCB’s case, there is a Jacob Bethell in their ranks, who was sensational for England in all formats of the game. The memories of that hundred in Mumbai against India in the T20 World Cup semi-final are still fresh.
Or you can easily slot in Venkatesh Iyer, a big-money buy and someone who has enjoyed success as an opener in the IPL. But it seems RCB have put all their weight around Salt to deliver once again.
“Well, those aren’t concerns for me. We’ve got a high-quality squad, and as we saw last year, our strongest team that we put out most of the time is full of predominantly guys who are playing or have played international cricket. So, these guys are seasoned professionals. They know what they’re doing. Someone like Phil Salt is still ranked in one of the top T20 batters in the world,” said Bobat.
“So there’s enough depth of confidence there. He also really enjoys being with RCB. He enjoys the franchise. He enjoys his partnership with Virat. He works very well with the likes of Andy and DK. So they’re doing some really good work right now. And I’m pretty sure we’ll see at the start of the season Phil doing his thing.”
With Salt looking to find himself once again, this could be the confidence he needs in the end to excel. If the last three seasons are anything to go by, except the England wicketkeeper to start going after every single delivery to score quickly.
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