Will Phil Salt play RCB vs GT IPL 2026 Final Tonight in Ahmedabad? — Latest update
Here is the latest fitness update on Phil Salt and whether he would play the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad.
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Heading into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the question was whether the Bengaluru franchise would have Phil Salt back in the playing eleven after missing the event for nearly six weeks.
Salt’s last clash for the Bengaluru franchise came against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 18 when he blasted a fine knock of 63 runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Since then, he flew back home to monitor his finger injury before returning to India ahead of the Playoffs.
Salt fit, but final XI still undecided — Will he open with Kohli in the IPL 2026 Final Tonight?
When the RCB side won their maiden title of the league in 2025, Phil Salt played a massive role at the opening position with Virat Kohli. The right-handed batter thumped 403 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of nearly 176 with four half-centuries. And he carried the same form even in the six innings of the IPL 2026 to thump 202 runs at a blistering strike rate of around 170.
On the eve of the final in Ahmedabad, the RCB captain, Rajat Patidar, didn’t sound confident of including the England batter in their playing eleven. He pointed out that the doctor has been managing the batter and a final decision will be taken later.
“Right now, he is there with the side. But at the same time, he is doing some sort of drills and batting also. And again, we have not decided yet. We will see how the doctor and all the management look at it. And we will see what the conditions are tomorrow.” Patidar said in the pre-match press conference.
Venkatesh Iyer smashed 19 off 7 in Qualifier 1 — Does Phil Salt walk back into RCB's final XI?
In Salt’s absence, RCB tried two different players in the opening spot. Jacob Bethell didn’t work as the opener with 96 runs in seven innings at an average of under 14 and a strike rate of just 124.67 with the best score of 27.
See Also: Watch: Phil Salt's superb catch dismisses Rishabh Pant for 1 during RCB vs LSG clash in IPL 2026
However, Venkatesh Iyer was phenomenal once he was promoted to the opening spot. In just five innings, the southpaw clubbed 177 runs at a strike rate of 184.37, scoring one half-century.
If Salt doesn’t get the nod of full fitness for the IPL 2026 final, then Venkatesh is likely to walk out with Kohli to open their batting. Moreover, it won’t be easy for the England opener to be in the park after a gap of more than one month.
After missing Qualifier 1, Will Phil Salt return for the IPL 2026 Final? — RCB playing XI predicted
The way RCB performed in the first qualifier against the Titans, they are very likely to retain the same playing eleven. Salt has the least chance to return into the eleven, especially after how V Iyer performed in the last few clashes.
Their bowling department, which consisted of India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Australia's Josh Hazlewood, had been incredible and balanced throughout the campaign, along with the supporting roles of Rasikh Salam and Suyash Sharma.
RCB predicted playing XII vs GT in IPL 2026-
Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Romario Shepherd.
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