Philip Salt

Phillip Salt is a right-handed top-order batter who primarily plays for Sussex County Club and now England and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. An explosive batter right at the top, Salt won a scholarship to play cricket at Reed school, which motivated him to give up football and pursue cricket as a future career.

The Welsh-based cricketer made his first-team debut in 2015, and it wasn't until 2018 that Salt really came alive at the domestic circuit.

Born in Bodelwyddan, Salt smashed two Championship hundreds, including a sensational knock of 148 off just 138 deliveries against Derbyshire in the 2018 Royal One-Day Cup. 

Impressed by his attacking approach, Lahore Qalandars invited him to play in the Abu Dhabi T20 Trophy, and he was roped in by Islamabad United for the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). 

The franchise-cricket wayfarer struck a magnificent 58-ball 100 for the Lions against Ireland at the Ageas Bowl in July 2020, and as a result, was drafted into the England squad as a reserve for the three-match ODI series. However, he did not feature in any of the matches. 

The ace batter for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL) made a name for himself in the shorter formats of the game. 

In July 2021, Phil Salt’s international career kick-started under extraordinary circumstances. With England’s main squad sidelined due to a COVID-19 outbreak, Salt was drafted into an emergency XI for the ODI series against Pakistan. He seized the opportunity in style, smashing 60 off 54 balls in the second ODI at Lord’s.

That summer, Salt lit up The Hundred while playing for Manchester Originals, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer with 220 runs at a strike rate of 149, including a standout 67 off just 34 balls. In the T20 Blast, representing Sussex, he added further fireworks with 293 runs in 9 matches, cementing his status as one of England’s most exciting new limited-overs talents.

Phil Salt’s star continued to rise in 2022, starting with the England tour of the West Indies in March, where he featured in both the T20I and ODI series. He lit up the third T20I in Bridgetown with a blazing 57 off 27 balls, reaffirming his reputation as a power-hitter at the top of the order.

The defining moment of Salt’s year—and perhaps his international career to that point—came in May 2022 during England’s ODI tour of the Netherlands. In the first ODI at Amstelveen, he blasted his maiden international century, scoring 122 off 93 balls. His knock was part of England’s historic world-record total of 498/4.

In franchise leagues around the globe, Salt made valuable contributions for the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL (scoring 235 runs in 8 matches) and for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL, where he struck 218 runs at a strike rate of 142, adapting his game seamlessly across continents and conditions.

The year kicked off in March with England's tour of Bangladesh, where Salt featured in both the T20I and ODI legs of the series. Across 3 T20Is, he tallied 105 runs, showcasing aggression against spin-heavy attacks. In the 3 ODIs, he chipped in with 98 runs, further cementing his position in the white-ball setup.

In the IPL 2023, Salt was drafted in by the Delhi Capitals as a replacement for Rishabh Pant. Seizing the opportunity, he played 9 matches, smashing 218 runs at a strike rate of 163.1 and an average of 27.2. His best came in a match-winning knock—an explosive 87 off 45 balls* against Royal Challengers Bangalore, which lit up the tournament.

But Salt’s most significant contribution came on the biggest stage—the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Though he didn’t start the tournament, he was brought in for the final matches and made an immediate impact. He smashed a scintillating 87 off 47 balls against the Netherlands and followed it up with a fiery 75 off 41 against Pakistan. Despite England’s overall struggles, Salt finished with 195 runs in 3 innings, averaging 65 at a strike rate of 152—a powerful display that marked his evolution into a crucial late-order weapon.

By the end of 2023, Salt wasn’t just seen as a top-order dasher—he had proven himself as a versatile, high-impact “finisher or enforcer”, tailor-made for modern white-ball cricket.

In March 2024, Salt featured in England’s T20I series in India, where he played all three matches and hammered 121 runs, with a blazing 67 off 25 balls as his best. England trusted him to attack during the powerplay—a role he performed with flair and aggression on spin-friendly pitches.

Salt then carried that form into the IPL 2024, while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he played a couple of blazing knocks during KKR’s trophy-winning season. 

Salt was then a key part of England’s campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, held in Pakistan in March. Opening the batting, he provided England with explosive starts and delivered one of the tournament’s standout innings– a match-winning 94 off 52 balls against South Africa in the group stage. 

In the IPL 2025, Phil Salt is playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)—a move that surprised many after his previous stint with Delhi and Kolkata. 

(As of May 2025)