Royal Challengers Bengaluru revealed the details about how they planned to sign the English wicketkeeper batter Phil Salt in the IPL 2025 mega auction last month. Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who joined RCB as a mentor, was heavily involved in the team’s planning for the auction as they listed out their targets before the ceremony. For the opening slot, Salt was at the top of the wishlist alongside the likes of Jos Buttler, Faf du Plessis, and Will Jacks.
RCB let go of Du Plessis and Jacks and made Salt their top priority. With him, they also solved the problem of having a top wicketkeeper batter.
In a video shared by RCB, Karthik can be seen talking about their plans for going after an opener who can score a century in 40-60 balls as they listed out Buttler and Salt who can do that job.
“We would want a foreign opener because, on the day they get going, they can score a hundred in 60, 50, or 40 balls, whatever it might be. Players like Jos Buttler and Phil Salt have done this time and time again,” Karthik said.
Talking about the Indian player, Karthik suggested only Kishan has such calibre but he has not been able to do that at a consistent level.
“Among Indian players, I can only think of Ishan Kishan, who has done that to a small degree. We know why we don’t want to go there (open with an Indian opener) because the power is not there,” he reflected.
‘In one out of four overs, Salt scores 16 or more runs’
Karthik was astonished to know about Salt’s incredible scoring rate in the powerplay as the number suggested that he tends to hit 12–15 runs in an over 30% of the time.
“My concurrence is that Phil Salt scores six to eight runs in an over 28% of the time and 12–15 runs in an over 30% of the time. In one out of four overs, he scores 16 or more runs, and in one out of two overs, he scores 12 or more,” he added.
Salt came into the auction on Day 2, and RCB signed him up for a whopping INR 11.5 crore as they didn’t pursue other options to that extent.
