Phil Salt Leaves RCB After Injury To Go Back To England, Will He Come Back?

Virat Kohli Phil Salt for RCB. Image Credits: AP/AFPIn a horrific update for the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), star opener Phil Salt has flown back home to England just before the business end of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Reported by ESPNcricinfo, Salt has been rushed home for scans on his finger after a special request from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It is learnt that the explosive RCB opener sustained a finger injury on his left hand while fielding in the deep during the home game vs to Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 18. The report also stated that Salt will be back in India soon, with both the player and the franchise keen on the 29-year-old opener’s return.How did Phil Salt get injured?Phil Salt, who has been a core player for the reigning champions, injured himself during the second innings of the RCB vs DC game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Although he didn't field after sustaining the injury and RCB went on to lose the game, he smashed an electrifying 63 off just 33 deliveries. The RCB team management never revealed the nature of Salt’s injury. In the absence of the Englishman, another English batter was slotted in, with Jacob Bethell opening the innings alongside Virat Kohli. Though Bethell hasn’t done anything noteworthy, RCB have won two out of three games since Salt's absence. Also Read: BCCI Set To Bow Down To MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma’s Age Old Complaint?When Phil Salt rushed back home in IPL 2025Phil Salt is undoubtedly a loyalist for the RCB, who contributed highly to their maiden IPL triumph last season. Not only was he a dashing partner at the top with Virat Kohli - scoring 403 runs at a strike rate of 176- he took breathtaking catches to turn the tables around in RCB’s favour, especially Priyansh Arya’s catch in the final. In IPL 2025, Salt rushed back home just before the final for the birth of his firstborn, but returned to India in 48 hours to play the big final. RCB, too, have never taken their faith away from the dashing cricketer, as he was backed for this season despite a poor run in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Can RCB qualify for playoffs? Currently sitting in second place on the IPL 2026 points table, RCB lost to the Gujarat Titans in the reverse fixture at Ahmedabad. For the first time this season, the mighty Bengaluru batting failed to put runs on the board, as they were bowled out for 155 runs. Defending it, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd tried their best, but the GT batters were too good on that day. The Rajat Patidar-led team is in the middle of their six-day break, cooling off in the Maldives to recharge their batteries. With five runs to go, RCB need at least two victories for qualification, but their main aim would be to finish in the top two. They will next play against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) this Thursday, May 7, at the Ekana Stadium. Also Read: Babar Azam Tries Copying Rohit Sharma's World Cup Celebration, Fails In That Too