Salt out again, Bethell stays as RCB's opener for the trip to Ahmedabad
Royal Challengers Bengaluru travel to Ahmedabad to face Gujarat Titans on Thursday night without Phil Salt for another match, with Jacob Bethell set to continue at the top of the order alongside Virat Kohli. Salt picked up the injury in a practice session before RCB hosted GT at the Chinnaswamy on April 24 and has not returned to the side since.
What we know about the injury
RCB have not disclosed the nature of Salt's problem. Mentor Dinesh Karthik had earlier suggested the opener could be back in time for the Delhi Capitals game on April 27, but Salt was left out of that squad and is now missing for the trip to Ahmedabad as well.
Before the injury, the England opener had been one of the most aggressive batters in the tournament. He had 202 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 168.33, and losing that intent at the top has shifted how RCB go about the powerplay.
Bethell's chance, still searching for the score
Jacob Bethell, Salt's England teammate, was promoted as the like-for-like replacement at the top. The 22-year-old left-hander finished the T20 World Cup 2026 in extraordinary form, including a 48-ball 105 in the semi-final against India at the Wankhede, but he has not yet transferred that rhythm to RCB. The Ahmedabad pitch will not make it any easier, and the Gujarat attack has Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj waiting.
Kohli the constant
At the other end, Virat Kohli has been one of the most reliable run-scorers of the season. He has 351 runs in eight innings at an average of 58.50, fourth on the IPL run-scorers chart. Last week's nine-wicket win over Delhi Capitals also saw him pass 9,000 IPL runs. He is the first batter ever to reach the mark.
RCB's probable XI
RCB's probable line-up reads: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar.
RCB sit second in the IPL 2026 table on six wins from eight games. Gujarat are fifth, with four wins and four losses, and need a result at home to keep their playoff push alive. Toss is at 7 pm IST, with the first ball at 7:30 pm.
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