Royal Challengers Bengaluru are fretting over Phil Salt's availability for their Qualifier 1 against the Gujarat Titans on May 26, as the opening batter is up against time for the Dharamsala clash. Salt had suffered a finger injury during his team's league stage clash against the Delhi Capitals on April 18 and has not played a single game for the defending champions ever since.
Salt headed back home to spend time with his family as his injured finger took its time to heal. RCB played Jacob Bethell in Salt's place; however, the England all-rounder failed to live up to expectations. He also suffered a finger injury of his own and missed RCB's last league stage outings against the Sunrisers Hyderabad as Venkatesh Iyer was promoted to open the innings along with Virat Kohli. Venkatesh had already impressed many with his unbeaten 73 against PBKS and backed it up with a quick-fire 44 against the SRH while opening the innings.
Will Phil Salt return for Qualifier 1?
RCB will now be hoping for Salt to return as he was one of their stand-out performers in the six matches that he played. Salt has already returned to India and was part of the drills ahead of Qualifier 1. RCB captain Rajat Patidar revealed the opener is 'fit' but is 'under observation' and that a final call on him will be taken later.
"Salt is fit. He is under observation from the doctor. He has been participating in a few drills, but we haven’t decided on our playing eleven yet. We will look at the wicket and decide," Patidar said in the pre-match press conference on the eve of the game.
Patidar heaps praise on Venkatesh Iyer's flexibility
Venkatesh has stepped up big time in the last two innings for RCB in different roles. He scored a 40-ball 73 batting at No.4 against the Punjab Kings, playing a starring role in the team's 23-run win. He opened in the SRH game due to Bethell and Salt's absence and provided the team with a flying start in their 256-run target, which they fell 55 runs short of. Venkatesh made 44 from 19 balls, boasting the highest strike rate among all RCB batters on the day.
Patidar took note of the Southpaw's performances and showered praise on his ability to adjust batting positions. "I have known Venky since childhood. He has a great attitude and is ready to bat anywhere in the order," Patidar said. "He was a main player at KKR, but when he came here, he didn’t get a lot of chances in the beginning. He accepted that and ensured he was prepared when the chance came to cash in."
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