Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Phil Salt has returned to England for scans on his injured finger, which has kept him out of the team’s last three matches in IPL 2026. In his absence, fellow England player Jacob Bethell has been opening the batting alongside Virat Kohli.
Salt, 29, picked up the injury while diving to stop a boundary during RCB’s match against Delhi Capitals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18. According to a report, he travelled back home on the advice of the England and Wales Cricket Board to undergo further medical checks.
“Both player and franchise remain hopeful that the finger will heal soon enough for Salt to return to India this month, with RCB aiming to defend the title that they won for the first time last season.
“RCB would be eligible to sign a replacement for Salt under IPL regulations in the event that the injury is deemed season-ending, but they are expected to give him every opportunity to recover,” the report added.
Before getting injured, Salt had been in good form, scoring 202 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 168.33 and providing quick starts at the top of the order. His absence comes as a setback for RCB, who are currently second on the IPL 2026 points table, just behind Punjab Kings.
RCB are currently on a short break and will next play Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday.