Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Phil Salt, according to ESPNcricinfo, is expected to rejoin the Indian Premier League later this week after spending a lot of time on the sidelines recovering from a finger injury. The power-hitter batter has been out of action since suffering the injury during a clash against Delhi Capitals on April 18. Salt injured a finger on his left hand while attempting a diving stop near the boundary rope.
Following medical assessment, he flew back to England to focus on rehabilitation and spend time with his family while recovering. Meanwhile, RCB, despite missing one of their most aggressive top-order batters, have continued their impressive campaign and successfully booked a place in the IPL playoffs. However, according to the report, it is still unclear whether Salt will play RCB’s final league-stage match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
During Salt’s absence, RCB brought youngster Jacob Bethell to open the innings at the top of the order alongside Virat Kohli. However, he has struggled to produce consistent performances, scoring 96 runs across seven innings. RCB may now face a selection dilemma heading into the knockout stage.
Even if Salt is not immediately available, Bethell’s place in the side could come under pressure after Venkatesh Iyer performed brilliantly with a match-winning, unbeaten 73 in RCB’s recent victory over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala.