Phil Salt IPL 2026 (Source: AFP)
The toss update is out and so is the playing 11s for both the teams for the high-octane RCB vs GT IPL 2026 match on Friday evening. Notably, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have made a significant change to their batting combination.
After a few highs and lows, Phil Salt has been left out for the clash. During the toss, the defending champions, RCB's captain, Patidar, when asked about today's combination, confirmed the news.
Here's how the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI looks like:
Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam
Impact subs: Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal
Who has replaced Phil Salt in RCB's playing 11 vs Gujarat Titans?
In the ongoing IPL 2026, Phil Salt, an explosive opener known for his high-impact, has been slightly inconsistent so far. A 30-ball fifty against Delhi Capitals and a 78-run knock vs Mumbai Indians have been the only notable performances from his bat.
Also read: Phil Salt Scripts Unfortunate IPL Record With Golden Duck vs RR
Although, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar stated that Salt's outser is because he sustained an injury; the cause and further details about the injury remain unknown.
Thus, it is assumed that the opener has been rested and replaced with another English batter, namely Jacob Bethell.
Wait ends on Jacob Bethell's IPL 2026 debut
It is worth noting that the 22-year-old, Jacob Bethell, starred for England in the 2026 T20 World Cup, highlighted by a record-breaking 105 off 48 balls against India in the semi-final at Wankhede Stadium.
Talking about Jacob Bethell’s IPL stats, the young batter has played two matches for RCB in their title-winning season, 2025, and was expected to enjoy a bigger role this season, especially after a charismatic T20 World Cup 2026.
Last year, Bethell hit a half-century for the side when Salt had to leave the camp for international duty. In two matches, he made 67 runs at a strike rate of 171.79. However, the team management backed Salt as an opener with legendary batter Virat Kohli on the other end.
Also read: Ex-Owned By Virat Kohli, Bengaluru's One8 Commune Suffers Legal Damage
Coming back to the match, Bethell has been involved as an impact player. Hence, it will be interesting to see if he opens with the regular opener Virat Kohli or places at the number three position, as he usually does for his country.
England legends clash over ignored Jacob Bethell's IPL 2026 stint
Coming into the match, RCB star Bethell's participation in the IPL 2026 became the cause of a heated debate, involving the young English talent prioritising franchise cricket over domestic development.
Former England captain Alastair Cook publicly suggested Bethell should leave the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp to play county cricket, arguing he is "wasting time" on the bench and should open for Warwickshire.
However, another English legend, Kevin Pietersen, supported Bethell, strongly disagreeing with Cook's opinion. Pietersen stated that Bethell rubbing shoulders with the "best players in the world" would be of greater benefit to him, even if he is not playing.
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